not all monsters
by ShadowsTakeAll
Summary: Jade West is terrifying (and not just because she's a werewolf). Tori Vega is her enemy (and not just because she's a hunter). But their love-hate relationship gets suddenly more complicated when the Alliance of Hunters steps in, their sights set on Jade and their hopes resting on Tori to finish the job. Can the girls learn to work together, or are their paths irreconcilable?
1. Chapter 1

**Heyo. This is my second Victorious fanfic, and it's a bit darker than my previous two-shot. This idea came about because I love supernatural AUs, but there was a certain pattern I noticed with that theme in this fandom - namely, that Tori is the werewolf and Jade is a hunter/vampire. I got to thinking about what would happen if the roles were switched, and here's what happened. There aren't any warnings at this point, although it may stray into darker territory later on. It's a Jori story, of course, but there's also a fair bit of Cade/Bori friendships. I'm very excited about this story, and also nervous about posting it.**

 **One thing to note is that I've split this into four 'arcs'. I've written all of the first arc, and it works kind of as a standalone by itself (as in, when it ends, that could easily be the end of the story). BUT if I get enough feedback I'll write the second arc, and so on and so forth. Basically, if you want to read more, let me know. Because after writing arc one I've got the plot bunny out of my head, so I'm happy to leave it or to continue it (as I've planned the other arcs out anyway). So it's up to you guys. The first arc lasts ten chapters, so we'll see how we go by the end of that.**

 **And, that's enough from me. Here's the first chapter. I hope you enjoy it.**

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

 ** _arc one: the monster within._**

X.X.X.X.X

"Cat? It's happening again." Jade grits her teeth, her eyes locked on the road ahead even as her vision begins to shiver, her perceptions shifting, her senses changing. Her phone is tucked between her ear and her shoulder, her hands gripping the wheel with such intensity that she wouldn't be surprised if she snapped it – after all, she's done that before.

"Are you -" Cat, on the other end of the line, cuts herself off. She knows better than to ask _Are you sure?_ or _Is this a joke?_ She'd asked those at the start, of course, but it's different now. "Come over," Cat says instead, a hint of worry coloring her voice. When Jade doesn't respond, Cat asks tentatively, "How far away are you?"

Jade glances at the clock, then her gaze flicks back to the road. A street sign flashes past, barely visible in the darkness, but Jade's senses are sharp enough for her to make out the name. "Five minutes," she replies after a quick calculation. "Ten, tops."

A shudder wracks her body and the phone falls to the floor, sliding under her seat. She leans down, fishing around for it for a moment, and then gives up as her hands begin to shake uncontrollably. She clamps them back on the steering wheel, trying to simultaneously stop them shaking and keep herself from snapping the wheel. She can hear Cat's voice coming from her phone, but when she opens her mouth to respond all that comes out is a faint whimper.

 _It's too soon,_ she thinks as her heartbeat speeds up and a bolt of energy shoots through her entire body, leaving her breathless – and not in the good kind of way. And in the back of her mind is a dim awareness, brightening and fading with every twist and turn of the road, some primal sense of _danger._ Like someone's following her. Chalking it up to pre-Change paranoia, she tries to ignore it.

After a minute there's silence; Cat must have disconnected. Jade focuses all her attention on the road, willing herself not to jerk the wheel, not to pass out, not to _scream._ And, unfortunately, all of those are very real possibilities.

Four minutes later she reaches Cat's house, slamming on the brakes and stumbling from the car. It's only a few feet to the house, but it seems to take forever; by the time Jade gets to the door, she's shaking so much that she can hardly muster the energy and the self-control to knock. A beat passes and then the door opens.

"Come in, quick," Cat says, the alarm in her voice reminding Jade of just how unsettling this whole process is. She's never seen it from the outside, but if it looks anywhere near as bad as it feels she wouldn't blame Cat for running for the hills.

As Jade stumbles through the door she feels Cat gently grabbing her arm, guiding her inside. This is the worst part of the transformation, Jade thinks with a grimace as Cat leads her down the hall, retracing their familiar path. It's the in-between stage, when she's no more wolf than human but simply a bizarre mixture of the two. Her features are unrecognizable as either, some ungodly combination that would be enough to terrify people far more stoic than Cat.

"You're okay," Cat is murmuring as they descend the stairs to the basement, Jade leaning on Cat as if her life depends on it, "you're okay, you're okay…"

Jade closes her eyes, focusing on her words, on the familiar lilt of her voice, the reassuring warmth of the other girl's hand on her arm. She follows Cat's lead as her friend comes to a stop, and only then does Jade open her eyes.

"We should -" Cat says hesitantly, gesturing to the chains over in the corner.

With a grunt Jade pushes her friend away, watching through blurred eyes as Cat stumbles backward, her eyes wide with surprise. "No… time…" Jade grits out, barely getting the words out before she collapses to the floor, her arms wrapped around herself and a low groan escaping her throat. She looks up at Cat, barely able to see her in the dim light, but she doesn't need to see her to be able to pick up on the waves of fear coming from her. " _Go_ ," Jade growls, and Cat hesitates only a second before complying.

As soon as the door closes, Jade allows herself a self-pitying whimper, finally letting go and allowing the Change to come over her. Once she stops fighting, it's a relatively quick process – it's just that it hurts like hell. Over the course of a few minutes Jade's body entirely rearranges itself, bones snapping and reforming, nails elongating into claws, hair turning to fur, senses shifting from _human_ to _wolf._

At last it's over, and Jade the wolf lies on the floor, breathing heavily and trying to find her center. It's a technique that she'd learned from the only other werewolf she'd ever met, and over the years she'd just barely managed to begin to master it. Her _center_ , as the other wolf had told her, was the part of her at her core, the part that was neither wolf nor human. It simply _was_. If she could get in touch with it, she could subdue the wolf to an extent. When she could get it to work it was only just enough to dim the bloodlust, but it was better than nothing.

She's still in the process of trying to find her center when she hears something that jerks her from her thoughts. In wolf form she can't process things the way she can as a human. Thoughts come to her in sharp fragments, disconnected jabs that bled together into a jumbled mess. She tilts her head to the side, her pricked ears picking up noise from upstairs. Tonight isn't one of the worst nights; the first night of the Change is usually relatively mellow. The following night, however, she'll be more agitated, more restless… and, if history is any indication, more aggressive. For now, since she can't smell blood or see prey, she's reasonably calm.

Head still cocked, Jade tries to understand what's going on upstairs. Car. Door. Voices. _Cat._ What's left of her human mind – which, in wolf form, isn't much – manages to work out that Cat must have a visitor. Even when she's a wolf, she remembers Cat. She likes Cat. Her voice is soft and she smells like bubblegum. The other voice is familiar too, but Jade can't quite put a name to it.

Unsettled by the activity upstairs, Jade gets to her paws and begins to pace. She throws a look at the chains in the corner, some part of her remembering the feel of them against her fur, since some nights she needs to be restrained. A low growl slips between her teeth, her claws clicking against the concrete as she walks. It's silent upstairs for a moment, and then Jade hears a yelp. _Cat,_ she thinks, and then all conscious thought leaves her.

She spins around and dashes up the stairs, her lithe body easily covering the distance that her half-human self had struggled with on the way down. At the top of the stairs she leans forward and noses the door, and feels a jolt of surprise – or the wolf equivalent of it – as it swings open. She hesitates for a second, but then she hears Cat's voice again – high-pitched, like she's hurt or scared – and that's all it takes. She noses the door out of the way and hurries through, falling back on her wolf senses to lead her to Cat. She can smell her, that subtle, sweet scent, and she follows it until she bursts into the kitchen. At first she's overwhelmed by the sudden influx of stimuli – the kitchen is a mess of open jars, half-empty bowls, glasses filled with dark liquid. A hundred scents bombard Jade's senses, but she zeroes in on the one that matters. And then she sees them.

Cat is standing in the middle of the kitchen, and there's someone there, someone holding her. Jade crouches low to the ground, letting out a growl. Cat is _hers_. She has to protect her. Without warning Jade lunges forward, aiming for the intruder. Before she makes contact, Cat lets out a shriek.

 _"Jade! Down!"_

The voice breaks through Jade's concentration, and at the last second she veers away, crashing to the ground less than a foot away from the intruder, who lets out a startled yelp. Jade pushes herself up into a crouch, glancing from Cat to the intruder and back again. And in the split second that follows, something falls into place. Her perception shifts. Not fear but confusion; not intruder but friend.

The other person in the room is someone she knows. The name tugs at the edge of her mind, pushing its way in. _Tori._ She looks over at Cat again, seeking clarification, reassurance – _something._ She can tell that Cat isn't scared, like she'd first thought. Her yelp earlier must have been surprise rather than fear. And Tori… she's not an intruder. She's not here to hurt Cat. Jade's hackles go down, her tail lowering as she realizes her mistake.

"Good girl," Cat is saying, noting Jade's submissive stance. In wolf form Jade can hear everything, but she can't process it all. She understands words, but not always in order; her mind processes it all differently, so that sentences don't always make sense. But Cat knows how to talk to her. "Down," Cat says again, and Jade sinks to her stomach, lowering her head in deference. She knows Cat isn't her alpha, but she does feel like part of her pack. And when Cat speaks to her like this there's something powerful about her, some kind of authority that she doesn't normally have.

Tori, meanwhile, is staring mutely at the wolf. She clears her throat and finally finds her voice. "You named your dog _Jade_?" she asks, fear giving way to amusement.

Jade blinks, the words falling into place in her mind. She growls at the word _dog,_ but too quietly for the others to hear.

"I, uh," Cat stammers, trying to come up with an excuse. Jade can smell her fear, her guilt, her confusion as she attempts to lie to her friend.

"I like it," Tori announces, laughing. "It kind of suits her."

Cat relaxes, her expression softening into something that Jade recognizes as a smile. Even as a wolf, she knows happiness. "I should get her back to the basement," Cat says, and then her eyes widen as she realizes her mistake.

"Your dog sleeps in the basement?" Tori asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes." Cat frowns, like she's not sure what the right answer is. "I mean, no." She blinks. "Maybe?"

At this point Jade rises to her feet, feeling a flicker of amusement as Tori flinches. Jade playfully nips at Tori's heel as she walks past, careful not to actually bite her. But she pulls back suddenly, confused by a scent she'd only just noticed. It's metallic, like blood or steel, something that triggers some kind of primal feeling of fear. Jade whimpers, quickly moving away from Tori and toward Cat, who feels like warmth and safety.

"Come on, Jade," Cat says, knowing better than to touch her but gesturing for her to fall into step beside her.

They make their way back to the basement door. Cat pauses on the threshold, and Jade circles nervously around her legs. Tori's scent is unsettling, and she doesn't know why. In wolf form all she can think are small snippets, single words. _Fear. Danger. Run._ But she can't run. She knows that.

"Go on," Cat urges, her voice equal parts sad and worried. "I'll see you in the morning."

Jade rests her head against Cat's leg for a moment, feeling her reassuring warmth. Then she forces herself to turn around and go back down the stairs, into the darkness and the solitude, alone with her thoughts of blood and steel and a fear that she can't escape.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

 **And there you have it. If you have thoughts, theories, compliments, critiques, or anything else, please do let me know. The more feedback I get the quicker I'll update/more likely it is that I'll write arc two. So enjoy, review, and I'll see you all next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**All righty, good to see some interest in this story. Just a reminder that although I love favorites/follows, it's reviews that keep me going, so if you like the story enough to read it, please take a minute to let me know. Now, onto the chapter.**

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

"Is your dog feeling better?" Tori asks the next day. She's sitting at their usual table, in between Andre and Cat, and she's talking to the latter. The rest of their group isn't here yet, so Tori and Cat had been discussing what had happened last night.

"Whatty?" Cat asks, jerking her head up from where she had been picking listlessly at her salad. She looks from Tori to Andre and back again, a frown forming on her face.

"I asked if your dog's okay," Tori says. "You said Jade wasn't feeling well last night."

"Oh," Cat says, at the same time as Andre exclaims, " _Jade_?"

Tori snickers, still amused by the fact that Cat had apparently named her dog after their friend. "Cat's dog is called Jade," she explains, and the look on Andre's face makes it clear that she's not alone in her amusement.

"Well, that figures," Andre says, grinning as he takes a bite of his burger. "Jade can be kind of a -"

His words are drowned out by a splutter as someone whacks him on the back of the head, causing him to almost choke on his burger. Tori pats him on the back as she glances over his shoulder. She's not surprised to see Jade standing there, a scowl on her face and her arms crossed.

"You should be more careful," Jade says to Andre as she sits down on Cat's other side, letting her shoulder bag fall to the ground, "someone might think you were about to say something unflattering."

"Mmph," Andre mumbles through a mouthful of burger. Jade seems to accept that as a satisfactory denial and turns her attention to her fries.

Companionable silence falls over the group for a minute or so. Tori sips her juice, her gaze drifting around as she takes in all of her friends. Something feels strange about the atmosphere at the table today, although she can't figure out what it is. She looks at each of her friends in turn, sipping thoughtfully. Andre looks distracted, and he keeps checking his phone as if he's waiting for a call. Cat seems more subdued than usual; she hasn't even told any crazy stories about her brother today. And then there's Jade. She's always kind of like a storm cloud, but today she's more gloomy than stormy.

At that moment Jade looks up, catching Tori's eyes for a split second before looking away. Tori stares at her, puzzled. Normally that would be Jade's cue to say something snarky like _What are you looking at?_ or _Look away before I slap that vacant look off your face._ But she doesn't.

Tori starts to ask Jade if she's okay, but she's interrupted by the arrival of Beck and Robbie, who are in the middle of what seems to be an uncharacteristically heated argument. She catches Cat's eye, sharing a confused look. Beck's normally the level-headed one, and even Robbie doesn't usually seem so agitated.

"Just drop it," Beck says as they reach the table. He sits down in between Tori and Cat, dumping his lunch onto the table with far more force than is necessary. Soup slops over the side of the plastic bowl, but he makes no move to clean it up.

"I don't see why we can't -" Robbie argues, slumping down onto the seat next to Jade, who looks mildly displeased. He cuts himself off as Beck glares at him, and Tori shifts slightly away from Beck, uncomfortable by the apparent conflict.

" _Drop it_ ," Beck says more firmly, and this time Robbie does.

Cat opens her mouth as if to ask what's going on, but Tori shakes her head and Cat's mouth snaps closed. This doesn't seem like the kind of argument where outside intervention would be helpful – and it definitely won't be welcome.

Tori clears her throat. "So… what did everyone do last night?" It's a feeble attempt to lighten the mood, but to her great relief it seems to work.

"I was working on my project," Andre says, looking up briefly before returning his gaze to his phone, which hasn't gone off all lunch.

"That's the one for the song-writing class, right?" Beck asks. The fight with Robbie seems to be forgotten and he's back to his calm, engaging self.

"Yeah," Andre says. He looks up again, but his finger is still tapping the table right next to his phone. Tori hasn't seen him this restless in a long time, and she wonders what he's hiding. "If I get an A I'll be the highest-scoring student in that class _ever_."

There's a note of pride in his voice, and Tori smiles in response. Song-writing has always been Andre's passion, but for a while it had seemed like he'd lost touch with it. It's nice to see that his passion hasn't faded. After they've all offered their congratulations and encouragement – aside from Jade, whose scowl simply deepens – Beck speaks up.

"I had a family thing," he says, rolling his eyes slightly. He turns to Cat and Jade. "What about you guys?"

Tori notes that he's only asking the girls, not Robbie, and wonders if this has anything to do with what they were arguing about earlier.

"I stayed home," Cat says quickly. "I was with -" She cuts herself off with a startled squeak and quickly mumbles, "No one. I was by myself. All night."

Bumping Cat up to the top of the list of people acting strangely today, Tori decides not to pursue the topic. "Jade?" she asks.

The girl in question looks over at her sharply. "What?"

Recoiling slightly in response to Jade's bitterness, Tori says hesitantly, "I asked what you were doing last night."

"That's none of your business, Vega," Jade snaps, which has the (presumably unintentional) effect of making Tori feel better. Cat might be acting weird, Beck and Robbie might be fighting, but at least Jade's still as acidic as always.

A beat passes, and then Tori asks the same question of Robbie. He launches into a story of a new skit he was working on with Rex, while the others (sans Jade, of course) patiently pretend to pay attention. As he finishes up, Cat suggests a trip across the street to get frozen yogurt. At last, a little spontaneity. Only Andre and Robbie take her up on the offer, but Beck asks Cat to bring him back a strawberry swirl.

A few minutes after the others have left, Tori finally works up the courage to say, "You seem kind of down today, Jade. Is everything okay?"

The look Jade gives her would be enough to make anyone in their right mind quail, but Tori knows – or at least strongly _hopes_ – that it's all for show. Not bothering to give her an answer, Jade just narrows her eyes and stabs a fork into her fries.

Tori waits a moment longer, and then gives up. She remembers when she first came to Hollywood Arts, how she'd tried so hard to make friends with Jade. They'd gotten off on entirely the wrong foot, but Tori had always thought she'd be able to make up for it. She'd seen the way that Jade was around Cat, how she was softer and more genuine, tempering her knee-jerk cynicism in order to put her friend at ease. And she'd seen Jade with Beck, and how she was somehow more _real_ with him, not quite owning up to her emotions but not hiding them either, letting him know her on a level that nobody else got to see.

She'd never gotten to that point with Jade, although she considered herself good friends with the others in the group – Andre, Beck, Cat, even Robbie. It was just Jade she'd never really been able to understand, and some days she wasn't even sure she wanted to.

Lost in thoughts of Jade and friendship and how much had changed since she'd first come to Hollywood Arts, Tori doesn't immediately register the fact that Beck is talking to her. She tunes in at the end of his sentence.

"… project coming along?" he asks.

Tori blinks, trying to catch his train of thought. Then it clicks. "Oh, my project with Cat?"

Beck gives her a strange look. "That's what I just said."

"I went over to her house last night to work on it," she explains. "But then her dog was acting weird and Cat said she was busy, so we rescheduled for Thursday."

"Thursday?" Beck echoes, confused. "But it's Monday now and the project is due next Tuesday."

"I know." Tori shrugs, finishing off her fries after offering them to both Jade and Beck; only the latter accepts, taking a couple of fries as he listens to Tori talk. "But Cat said she'd be busy the next couple of nights."

"Hm," Beck says dismissively, while Tori's mind wanders. Cat hadn't said exactly what she'd be busy with, but it had to be important for her to postpone doing such an important project. He turns to Jade, frowning. "You know, you do look kind of out of it."

"Gee, thanks," Jade says scathingly. "That's just what every girl wants to hear from her ex-boyfriend."

"He has a point," Tori says. She pauses, and then, daringly, adds, "You look really tired. You could say… _dog tired_."

Irritation flashes through Jade's eyes. "Yes, Cat's dog is named after me, and it's hilarious."

"Well," Beck says with a smirk, "you _can_ be kind of a -"

Jade throws her fork at him, but he ducks and it sails harmlessly over his shoulder. He raises his eyebrows in a mocking kind of way, which prompts Jade to roll her eyes again. After a while conversation turns to lighter topics, with Beck engaging Tori in a discussion about the new restaurant that opened up down the street last week. As they talk Tori is aware of Jade glancing over at her every now and then, when she thinks that Tori isn't looking.

And she's also aware of the fact that as Beck speaks he's been moving closer, until he's close enough that Tori could touch him if she wanted to. And for a moment she's tempted. Jade and Beck have been broken up for so long that she wouldn't be treading on any toes if she did finally act on her feelings, but something's holding her back.

Feeling like she's caught in the middle of something she doesn't quite understand – and isn't there always something between Beck and Jade? – Tori is relieved when Cat, Robbie, and Andre return, complete with frozen yogurt.

"Here you go," Cat says brightly, placing one of the cups in front of Beck.

"I got you one too," Andre adds as he sits down on Tori's other side, handing her a cup of raspberry bliss. But he places it too close to the edge of the table and it topples over, six pairs of startled eyes watching it. Without thinking Tori grabs for it, snatching it up less than a second before it would have hit the ground. Caught off-guard by her quick reflexes, she decides to play it cool.

Tori beams at Andre, gently placing the cup back on the table. "You're the best," she says, entirely ignoring the way everyone is staring at her in surprise. As she digs in, she notices Robbie sitting down beside Jade, his hands actually shaking at the prospect of interacting with her.

"Here's yours," he says, giving Jade her own cup as Cat sits on the dark-haired girl's other side. Giving Jade something unsolicited, even something as trivial as food, is a risky move, and the group collectively holds their breath as they wait for her reaction.

Jade hesitates, considering, and then shrugs as she reaches for it. "Thanks."

Tori shares a surprised look with Andre, but they say nothing. Although Tori can still sense some unease in the group, with everyone in their own little worlds, the rest of lunch passes by comfortably. When the bell rings they start to go their separate ways, and Tori is about to head to her locker when she notices something.

"Hey," she says, catching Beck by the arm and pulling him back. She's looking at a dark mark on his wrist, something that looks like it's shaped like some kind of weapon – a dagger, maybe, or a knife. "Nice tattoo," she says, genuinely impressed.

Beck glances down at his arm, then back up at Tori, confusion darkening his eyes.

"What are you talking about, Tori?" Cat says on her way past, an almost-skip in her step and her half-empty cup of yogurt still in her hand. "Beck doesn't have a tattoo."

Without waiting for a response she flits away, catching up with Jade and looping her arm through the other girl's. Tori watches her go, then turns back to Beck. He's pulled down the sleeve of his sweater so that she can't see the place where she'd thought there was a tattoo, and he's not confirming or denying anything.

Instead he frowns at her slightly, says, "You're going to be late for class," and then walks off, leaving Tori alone and incredibly confused.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

 **Thoughts, theories, comments, critiques? Let me know in the reviews. See you next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well hey there. You guys really brought it last time; keep that up and I may well write arc two. As usual, reviews are very much appreciated and it's great to see people suggesting theories - and let me tell you, you're on the right track. So keep on telling me what you think/hope will happen, and I might drop some hints for you all. ;)**

 **Anyway. Here's the next chapter. The more reviews I get, the quicker I'll update. Enjoy.**

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

"It's getting worse." The admission doesn't come easily, but it feels necessary. Jade is sitting on Cat's couch that afternoon after school, her hands wrapped around a mug of coffee and her gaze downcast. Cat is sitting beside her, cautiously quiet, reassuringly close. She hasn't said much this afternoon.

"What do you mean?" Cat's voice is carefully measured, giving Jade no indication as to how the other girl is feeling. She pauses, and then adds, "You didn't seem as bad last night. I mean, you could have killed me and Tori, but you…"

"I listened to you," Jade finishes, working through the haze of memories. She remembers most of what happens when she's in her other form, but because she interprets it all as a wolf she sometimes finds it hard to understand when she's human again. But she remembers last night. She can remember protecting Cat, realizing the intruder was actually Tori, stopping just short of seriously hurting her friend. (She can't remember when she started referring to Tori as a _friend_ , but that's beside the point.)

"Yeah." Cat chews on her lower lip, a nervous habit. "But you weren't… I mean you didn't…"

"Want to rip your throat out?" Jade supplies, seeing Cat flinch out of the corner of her eye. She finally looks up, but Cat isn't looking at her. As supportive as Cat is, Jade knows that she's still not comfortable with the whole supernatural issue. "No," she goes on, and she can see Cat visibly relax. "I was just protecting you, I swear. I wasn't going to hurt you."

Cat giggles, and then her face falls. "But you were going to hurt Tori?"

"I…" Jade starts, not sure whether she's going to deny it or admit to it. "Yeah," she says finally. "I thought Tori was hurting you, and I would have done whatever I could to stop her."

Although it's not something that they often talk about, both girls are aware of the unique relationship they have. There's nothing romantic or sexual about it – although Jade definitely swings that way – but instead something deeper. Cat is part of Jade's pack, and is the only friend that Jade has ever allowed to see her in her wolf form. There's a bond between them, something they can't really explain, but there's an unspoken agreement that they would do anything for each other.

"Thank you," Cat says soberly, but then ruins the effect by giggling. "But you know Tori's not going to hurt me, right?"

"I know." Jade takes a sip of her coffee, noting that Cat had made it exactly the way she likes it. "But when I'm a wolf, it's like the world goes black and white. There's friends, and then there's everyone else. And if they're not a friend, they have to be an enemy."

Cat nods, encouraging but not quite able to understand this way of thinking. She's always been a glass half full kind of girl, seeing strangers as friends she hasn't met yet and every cloud shining with a silver lining, and she can't wrap her head around the fierce loyalty and pack mentality of the wolf. Jade had long ago given up on trying to explain it to her, accepting the fact that Cat could appreciate it even if she couldn't understand it.

"If you hadn't stopped me, I might have hurt Tori," Jade goes on solemnly. Despite how hard she tries to make it seem like she hates Tori, she would never actually deliberately hurt her. Not as a person, and not even as a wolf. Which is why her behavior last night confuses her.

A few minutes of silence pass as the girls both finish their drinks – Jade's coffee and Cat's green tea. Cat taps her bright pink nails against the side of the mug and frowns. "You said it was getting worse?" she prompts, her voice tilting up in a question at the end.

"Yeah." Jade looks up at her again, and this time Cat's looking at her. A pang of guilt shoots through her as she sees the concern in her friend's eyes. She'd never meant to involve Cat in any of this, and had even offered her the choice to leave when she had found out about Jade being a werewolf. But like a true friend Cat had stayed by her side, and Jade had never told her how much she appreciated it. "I didn't feel as… _violent_ last night as I usually do," she says, shuddering at the thought of what might have happened if she had been aggressive last night. "But you saw what I was like this morning. It wasn't pretty."

Jade had only gotten maybe an hour's sleep last night, and had woken up disoriented and confused. Waking up the morning after a Change was always a confronting experience – especially in the days before she'd told Cat, back when she hadn't had the luxury of chains and a basement and had often woken up in the woods with no idea what she'd done the night before – but this morning had been even worse. It had taken her longer to come to her senses, longer to bring up the wolf memories, longer to even remember her own name, let alone what had happened last night.

"You did seem kind of…" Cat trails off, and, unable to come up with a tactful way to phrase it, instead reaches for one of the cookies sitting in a bowl on the table and shoves it in her mouth. Then she holds the bowl out to Jade, who shakes her head. She's still feeling queasy, and the thought of sugar makes her feel even worse. For a split second she tastes something on her tongue, something familiar but almost unwelcome, and she pushes it away before she can identify it. Something tells her she doesn't want to.

"There's something else." Jade sets her cup down and gets to her feet. She pauses, crossing her arms as a thoughtful look comes across her face. Then she starts pacing, like she had last night as a wolf. The same uneasy feeling is creeping across her skin, leaving her restless and prickly. "Last night, I caught Tori's scent. It was… weird."

Cat thinks for a moment. "One time my brother didn't shower for a month and -"

Jade holds up a hand to silence her. "Not the same thing, Cat," she says, and the other girl falls silent. "It was… It was kind of metallic. Like steel or -" She stops just short of saying _blood_ , and carries on quickly, "It was faint, though. I only noticed it because I was a wolf. I couldn't pick up on it today at lunch."

"You were trying to sniff Tori?" Cat giggles, and Jade just rolls her eyes.

"Focus, Cat," she urges, pausing her pacing for long enough to give the other girl a firm look. "This might be important."

"Right," Cat says. Then she waves her hand down her face, her expression sobering in an instant. "What do you think it means?"

"I don't know. It -" Jade's words dissolve into an involuntary moan as she feels the painfully familiar shudder pass through her.

"Jade?" Cat says worriedly, standing up but not moving over to her friend. When the Change starts, she knows better than to intervene without strict permission. It can be dangerous, for onlookers as well as the wolf. "Is it… starting?"

Jade's only response is a faint grunt. She hadn't expected it to come on this quickly. Normally the Change lasts for a few days, turning her every night and giving her other, more subtle symptoms during the day. But usually at night when she Changes, she can feel it in advance. This time it's sudden, giving her almost no time to react.

"Okay, okay, come on." Cat moves toward her now, grabbing Jade's arm and starting to lead her to the basement.

As Jade follows Cat to the basement, she has to bite back a howl of pain. The Change is always painful, but the pain tends to start later on in the process. Her features haven't started changing yet, so it doesn't make sense for her to be in so much pain. Something's wrong. She tries to say as much to Cat, but the words get stuck in her throat.

Still holding onto Jade's arm, Cat uses the other hand to push open the door. Then she lets go of Jade, but follows her down the stairs. Jade stumbles to the corner, sinking to her knees. Cat reaches her, and then she hesitates.

"What?" Jade grits out, looking up at her friend.

Cat crouches down in front of her. "You know I hate doing this," she says sadly, reaching for the chains.

"I know." Jade looks down, following Cat's movements as she quickly attaches the chains to both of Jade's wrists, with the other end looping up through a ring sticking out of the wall. It's not a particularly elegant setup, but it's practical. And it's strong – the chains had been given to her years ago by a werewolf hunter, of all things, and had been designed specifically for this purpose. "You don't have to do it," Jade goes on as Cat checks the chains, making sure they're secure and not too tight. "Any time you want to back out, just say so. Okay? I can manage fine on my own."

Cat smiles in response to the gentleness in Jade's voice, something that rarely shows through. "You're my friend, Jade," she says simply, giving the chains one final tug before resting her hand on Jade's shoulder. "You know I'd do anything for you."

Jade doesn't have time to respond, because the Change starts in earnest then, her bones shifting and her body convulsing. "Get out of here," she says to Cat, who obeys at once, with a whispered farewell and a quick wave.

In an effort to distract herself from the pain now coursing through her body, Jade thinks about Tori. That scent is bothering her. It's something she's come across before, or at least a variation of it. But she can't place it, and it's driving her crazy. Normally a little mystery like this wouldn't bother her so much, but with the Change comes an increased rush of emotions – prior to turning into the wolf, of course. While she's still human, the emotions will flood her system. But as a wolf, she's beyond all that, and she finds herself almost longing for it.

It doesn't take long for her to Change entirely, and then for the second night in a row she's lying on Cat's basement floor, this time with magically-enhanced chains tight around her legs. She looks down at them and lets out the wolf equivalent of a sigh. This time she feels more restless. She can't hear any noise from upstairs, and she has nothing to focus on. For a while she watches a spider crawl across the ground, then she shifts her attention upwards to the moths fluttering around the dim light.

She stretches her paws out in front of her, preparing herself for a long night, but after a few minutes she adjusts her position. And again. And again. An hour later she's still trying to get comfortable, but there's too much energy rushing through her. She's jittery, anxious; she needs to pace but the chains restrict her movement. She can only take a few steps either side before she gets pulled up short, almost tripping over her own paws. Cautiously Jade sniffs the air, but she doesn't detect anything unusual. She pricks her ears, but there's still no noise.

Cat will come to check on her every few hours, but other than that she knows she's alone. And still, the memories from last night haunt her, the impressions still sticking in her mind. _Danger. Run. Enemy. Flee._

And then, in the silence and the darkness, another thought comes to her. One more word, one that causes her breath to catch and her heart to race.

 _Hunter._

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

 **Next chapter we'll check back in with Tori, and a certain other Vega sister may or may not make an appearance. A couple of things will also be revealed that will get the plot rolling, so review away and I'll try to have the next chapter up soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

**You _guys_. I am _loving_ the feedback. Shoutout to  ScottyBgood for being full of questions and theories; you are my favorite kind of reviewer, and I'm always eager to see what you think is going on. Speaking of feedback, actually, I wanted to ask all you readers/reviewers something: if I do write the second arc, what do you want to see in it? So far I just have a very rough, very vague outline, so I'm open to suggestions. Are there particular characters you want to see more/less of? Any questions you want answered? Any concepts you want explored? I'll do my best to include every suggestion, so feel free to leave your thoughts in a review or PM and I'll see what I can do.**

 **And now, as a reward for sitting through that AN, have a chapter. ;)**

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

"You didn't have to walk me to the door," Tori says, bemused, as Andre even reaches out to open the door for her.

He shrugs, unabashed. "I'm just being a gentleman," he says. He's still finishing off his smoothie, which they'd stopped to get on their way home from dinner. It was originally meant to be a group-hang type thing, but one by one the others had all bailed. Tori had been tempted to cancel the whole thing, since she's tired and behind in almost all of her subjects, but Andre had wanted to get away from his grandma for the night so she'd tagged along.

And it had turned out to be a good evening. They'd had pizza (a nice change from sushi, Tori had thought as she licked cheese off her finger), done some karaoke, and stopped for smoothies on the way home. At one point she'd been worried that he might have been interpreting it as a date, but then she realized how stupid she was being; this was _Andre._ They were best friends, and that was it. Besides, she'd reminded herself, he was still hung up on some Northridge girl he'd met a few weeks ago. Once that weirdness was out of the way, she'd quite enjoyed herself.

"I'm a big girl, Andre," she says with a smile, stepping around him and opening the door. She slurps the last of her smoothie and then tosses the empty cup into the trashcan next to the door. Then she turns back to Andre. "Do you want to come in for a while?"

Andre considers it, but then he checks the time on his phone and groans. "Thanks, but I should get back," he says. "I left grandma a note on the fridge saying where I'd be, but if she didn't read it she probably thinks I've been abducted by aliens or something."

Tori laughs, well aware of how eccentric Andre's grandmother is. Then a thought hits her, cutting through her amusement. She remembers how strange everyone had been acting at school today, and she's about to ask Andre if he'd noticed anything weird. But then he slides his phone into his pocket, smiles again, and says, "Well, see you tomorrow then."

The moment passes, and Tori says goodbye to him, watching him walk down the drive before she turns around and goes into the house. She's barely in the door before she comes to a complete standstill, her brow furrowing as she takes in the sight before her.

Trina is sitting at the kitchen table, dumping the contents of several cans into a large glass bowl. Every now and then she stops to stir a wooden spoon through the sludge, which turns a muddy green color. Tori knows her sister well enough to be concerned, but not to the point of actually wanting to ask her what the heck she's doing. But as she passes by the table on her way to the fridge, Trina looks up, her eyes wide and her mouth tilting down in annoyance.

"You could offer to help," Trina grumbles, tipping a can of leek soup into the bowl. The mixture is lumpy now, reminding Tori of something she'd seen in a swamp that time Sikowitz had dragged them all into the woods for a weekend of survival skills, which he swore would help them with their acting. (It didn't.)

"Yeah, I could," Tori says, pulling a soda from the fridge and popping the top. She turns back around, leaning against the fridge as she surveys her sister. She frowns. "But I _really_ don't want to."

"Ugh." Trina slaps the spoon into the mix with too much force; some of the green goo splashes over the side of the bowl. She huffs, pushing her hair out of her eyes with the back of her hand. While Tori finishes her drink, Trina glares at her. "Aren't you at least going to ask what I'm doing?"

"Nope," Tori says cheerfully, starting to head up to her room. She can still hear the sounds of Trina concocting her sludge-mix as she walks up the stairs. It's probably yet another Internet-approved beauty lotion that's only going to irritate her skin or cause her to break out in hives, but somehow each bad experience doesn't stop her from trying again. Tori decides to stay in her room until Trina's finished, because no way is she helping her clean up that mess.

As she flicks on the light in her room, Tori's thoughts have turned to the mountain of homework she has waiting for her. Aside from the project with Cat, she has a script to write, a song to record, and an essay on the history of theater to compose. She's just thinking that she'll start with the essay – she may as well get the most boring thing out of the way first – when she hears the door close behind her. She spins around, startled, and is even more surprised when she sees someone standing there.

Before she can get a good at them, the person lunges at her. With a shriek Tori jumps to the side, her heart and mind both racing. She reaches for the door, her fight or flight reflex kicking in and deciding on the latter, but the person goes for her again, this time making contact and pushing her against the closed door. Her assailant is slightly taller than she is, dressed all in black – complete with a hoodie so that his face is obscured.

"Get off," Tori snaps, but her voice is shaking and she knows she's not intimidating in the slightest. The person doesn't let go, and now Tori's starting to panic. She'd gone to a couple of self-defense classes with Trina, but she can't remember a single thing about them. She closes her eyes, feeling the person's grip tighten around her wrists, still pinning her to the door. Tori takes a deep breath, and she feels something stir inside her, some half-forgotten memory, some primal feeling.

Her eyes snap open and she acts on instinct. She twists her hands around so that she's holding onto his wrists too, and then she pulls him toward her, lifting her knee up at the same time so that she hits him in the stomach. _Hard_. He doubles over in pain, letting go of her, and Tori seizes the opportunity. She shoves him back, so that she can step forward and away from the door, and she backs it up with a roundhouse kick that sends him stumbling even further away.

Her assailant lets out a grunt, hesitates for a second, and then comes at her again. This time Tori's ready. She sidesteps easily, slightly surprised at her own grace, and then uses the stranger's own momentum against him, pushing him up against the door. She does it so quickly that he doesn't have time to react, but just as she's about to pull his hood away from his eyes, he spins around, grabbing her arm and twisting it up behind her back.

Tori lets out a yelp, but her fear is quickly burning into anger. Still relying on instinct she slams the heel of her shoe into the guy's foot, wishing she had worn heels today. But it's enough without them, and his grip on her loosens. Running on anger now, Tori yanks her arm out of his grip, turns around, and grabs his wrist in both her hands. And then, so quickly that she doesn't even have time to process it, Tori pulls him downward, slamming him into the ground and quickly flipping him over so that she's holding his arm behind his back, straddling him and holding him to the ground.

Before she can do anything else, he speaks, but the blood rushing in Tori's ears makes it hard for her to understand. She shakes her head slightly, focusing.

"I give," the guy is saying, " _Jesus_ , Tori, I _give_."

The shock at hearing her assailant use her name is second only to the fact that she recognizes his voice. She's so shocked that she lets go of him, falling to the side and staring at the black-clad figure with something close to horror.

With a groan he rolls over and slowly sits up, cradling his arm. Then he tips his head back so that the hood falls away from his face, and Tori's suspicions are confirmed.

"Beck?" She can barely force the name out, struggling to understand what the hell is going on. Adrenalin is still coursing through her body, making her jumpy and, more than anything, _angry._ "What the hell are you doing?"

He raises an eyebrow, as if it's a stupid question, and then he at least has the grace to look embarrassed. He rubs the back of his neck with his good hand, the other resting limply in his lap. "I probably could have gone about this in a better way," he admits.

Tori just stares at him. Nothing about this situation makes any sense. "What's going on?" she finally says, her anger fading now as she realizes that Beck isn't a threat. At least, he shouldn't be. And he's not attacking her now, so that has to count for something.

"Maybe you should sit down," Beck suggests, and then blinks as he realizes that Tori is actually sitting down – just on the floor. "Right," he mumbles, running a hand through his hair. "I guess you're probably wondering -"

"What the hell you're doing in my room?" Tori interrupts sharply, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

"Well, yeah." Beck shifts his position so that he's facing her, his legs stretched out in front of him and his injured hand still in his lap. "I'm impressed, by the way," he says. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

Tori opens her mouth to respond, then realizes that she doesn't have an answer. It had all been instinct, no conscious thought or rational decision-making whatsoever. "I don't know," she admits, crossing her legs and frowning at Beck.

"Well, I do." He hesitates, and then rolls up his sleeve, revealing the same dagger-shaped tattoo she'd seen earlier that day. "You can see this?"

It's such a bizarre question that Tori doesn't answer right away. "Yes, I can see your very obvious, very visible tattoo," she says, her voice equal parts questioning and mocking.

Beck doesn't respond to the humor in her voice. "The thing is," he says, rolling his sleeve back down, "nobody should be able to see that. Or at least, _you_ shouldn't be able to see it."

"What do you mean?" Tori's eyes flicker down from Beck's face, darting over the tattoo. There's no mistaking it, and she has no idea why she shouldn't be able to see it. She raises an eyebrow. "Did you have it done in invisible ink?" she jokes.

"Sort of," Beck says. He gives Tori a careful look, as if he's deciding whether to tell her something – or how much to tell her. "This tattoo should only be visible to other hunters."

"Hunters?" Tori echoes. "You mean like deer, or…" She trails off, noting the seriousness of Beck's expression. "You don't mean deer."

"No," Beck says evenly. "I'm not talking about deer."

A moment passes, and then Tori clears her throat. "What are you talking about then, Beck?"

He seems to brace himself for the truth, while Tori's heart speeds up in anticipation. "I'm talking about werewolves," he says, and Tori's heart stops altogether.

Another long moment passes. Tori's heart kicks back up, but her mind is slower to get back into action. "Werewolves," she repeats flatly, waiting for Beck to tell her that this a joke, that it's a skit on iCarly and the others are waiting in the wings, that it's a dare or a prank or _something._ But he stays silent, letting her process the information. Finally she says, "So you're telling me that you're a werewolf hunter?"

"Well, yeah." He allows himself a small, self-congratulatory smile. "I actually just finished my training. That's what the tattoo means – that I'm a fully-fledged hunter."

"Okay," Tori says slowly, wondering whether she believes him – and whether she even wants to, "but I'm not. So how come I can see your tattoo?"

"If you're not initiated, there's only one other reason you'd be able to see it." Beck pauses, and then, with a solemnity that chills Tori to the core, says, "You're a bloodline hunter."

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

 **So, what do you guys think that means? How will it affect Tori and her friends? What will she do with this revelation?**

 **Next chapter involves a coffee date, a realization, and some lighter moments to balance out the tension this time round, so I hope to see you all there. And as always, reviews make me happy and mean quicker updates for you guys, so everyone wins. ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Didn't get much of a response last chapter. Are you guys still with me? This chapter marks the halfway point for arc one, so if you want me to write arc two them show me some love. This is possibly my favorite chapter, so I'm excited to see what you guys think of it.**

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

"Jade?" Cat calls down the stairs, peering down into the darkness. It's just after six and she needs to start getting ready for school, but she needs to check on her friend first. She hadn't slept well last night, and judging by the howls that drifted up from the basement throughout the night, Jade hadn't either.

Jade moans slightly, her eyes flickering open and quickly taking in her surroundings. For a split second she starts to panic, but then the facts come back to her. She's at Cat's house; she'd Changed last night. She pulls herself up into a sitting position, but she's leaning against the wall because she doesn't yet have the strength to keep herself upright. "I'm here," Jade calls back, lifting one of her hands up in a slow wave – as much as she can given the chains around her wrists.

From her place in the corner Jade watches as Cat comes down the stairs, a spring in her step and a smile on her face. "Morning," Cat says brightly, but there's a note of concern in her voice, almost like a question; she's giving Jade the chance to open up, but she's not pushing her. Jade decides to ignore it. "How are you feeling?"

Cat crouches down in front of Jade, handing her a cup of coffee. Jade gulps it down, knowing that the caffeine will help to clear the cobwebs in her mind. Changing back is always hard, even after the physical changes have finished. It takes a while for her senses to shift entirely back to human, and the intervening time is disconcerting to say the least. While Jade drinks her coffee, Cat removes the chains from around her wrists.

When she's finished, Cat rocks back on her heels, giving Jade a sympathetic smile. Only when Jade's consumed the entire cup of coffee does she feel safe to talk.

"I'm fine," she says, placing the cup on the ground and ignoring the way her hand shakes as she does so. She's not fine, and she knows it, but she's not ready to talk about it yet. Cat has enough on her mind without Jade telling her how bad this Change was, or how much pain she's still in, or how she's not sure how the hell she's going to handle tonight if it's going to get worse.

"We should get ready for school," Cat announces, jumping to her feet and reaching out to pull Jade up too.

Jade winces as she puts all her weight on her feet. She's not usually in this much pain after a Change, or this unsteady on her feet. She leans on Cat more than she normally does as they make their way out of the basement, and Jade reminds herself that at least she gets to keep her clothes when she Changes.

The girls have been in this routine for so long that it's familiar now, and they fall into a rhythm as they get ready for school. While Cat makes breakfast for the two of them, Jade goes to get the spare clothes she keeps in Cat's room. Her body aches as she switches out yesterday's old black dress for today's dark jeans, black off-the-shoulder shirt, and high-heeled boots. It's the last item that causes her the most trouble, and as she laces them up she has to bite back a groan.

"Jade," Cat's voice drifts up the stairs, "breakfast's ready. Come and get it!"

"Coming," Jade calls, finally giving up on the boots and opting for yesterday's ballet flats instead. They don't exactly go with the outfit, but the thought of traipsing around all day in heels is unbearable. She quickly does her makeup, settling for _not hideous_ rather than her usual _actually pretty,_ and goes downstairs.

Over mugs of coffee and plates of pancakes, Jade and Cat talk about trivial things like class projects and school gossip and upcoming sales at the mall. But there's something playing on Jade's mind, and as they're in the car on the way to school – Jade driving Cat's brother's car, since he's in the 'special hospital' again and Cat doesn't have a licence – Cat brings it up.

"Talk to me," she says gently.

If it were anyone else, Jade would answer with a curt _Bite me_ or even just a flat-out _No_ , but she can't do that with Cat. She sighs, tightening her grip on the steering wheel, and glances over at her friend. "Last night, while I was… you know," she mumbles, still unable to get over the weirdness of saying the word _werewolf_ out in the open like this, "I think I figured something out."

Cat twirls a strand of hair around her finger, looking at Jade curiously. "Like what?"

"You know how I said that Tori's scent was kind of weird?" Jade says, and even as the words leave her mouth she's wishing she could take them back. If she's right about this, she doesn't even want to think about what it will mean. And even though Cat's already involved, Jade still wants to keep her out of it as much as possible.

"Mhm," Cat says, encouraging her to go on.

"I think I know what it is." Jade hesitates, knowing that once she says the next few words she won't be able to keep Cat out of this. But Cat's looking at her expectantly, and finally Jade says, "It was…" This is harder than it had seemed, and Jade finds herself at a loss as to how to go on. "I think it was a hunter's scent."

A beat of silence passes, Cat's curiosity giving way to confusion. "A hunter?" she repeats, her eyebrows furrowing. "You mean like deer?" She frowns in response to Jade's raised eyebrows and then mumbles, "You don't mean deer."

"No, not deer." Jade grits her teeth. "Werewolves."

Cat doesn't respond right away. She falls silent, staring out the window for so long that Jade thinks she may not have heard or understand. Then she turns back to her friend. "You think Tori's a werewolf hunter," she says, but it's more of a question than a statement. And as soon as Cat says it, Jade realizes how ridiculous it sounds.

"I said I think she _smells_ like a werewolf hunter," Jade clarifies, but that doesn't really make it any better. Before she can say anything else they reach the school, and she focuses on parking the car. When they get out they're greeted by Robbie and Andre, and Jade shoots Cat a look that clearly says _don't say a word about werewolves or I will strangle you._ Cat makes a zipping-her-lips motion with her hand and then turns her attention to the boys, diving into a conversation about an upcoming play that Sikowitz is going to put on.

Jade trails behind as they make their way into the building, and she comes to a stop when she sees Tori standing in front of her _Make It Shine_ locker. The rest of the group has gone straight to Cat's locker, still talking about Sikowitz's play and entirely oblivious to Tori's presence. For a moment Jade considers following them, but then Tori glances up and meets her eyes, and Jade realizes that her friend is actually crying.

"God help me," she murmurs, branching off from the group and going over to Tori, who looks up at her in surprise.

"Hi Jade," Tori says, swiping under her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater like she doesn't want Jade to know she'd been crying.

For once, Jade plays along. "Hey Vega," she says. She may be here to comfort her friend, but she doesn't want to make it seem like she actually _likes_ her. "Something on your mind?"

Tori frowns, trying to figure out if she's serious. Then she shrugs, pulling a textbook out of her locker and then nudging the door closed with her shoulder, still dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve. "I guess," she says, aiming for nonchalance but falling far short. "Sort of."

Jade stops just short of saying _Talk to me,_ but she feels a sudden surge of sympathy for her friend. For a second all thoughts of Tori being a hunter fade from her mind. "Come on," Jade says instead, jerking her head to indicate the cafeteria area. "Let's go get a cup of coffee."

Tori blinks. "So you can pour it on my head again?"

Jade scowls. "I haven't done that since your first day," she says defensively, and then wonders why she feels the need to defend herself anyway. She reminds herself that because she's in the middle of the Change cycle her emotions are going to be heightened, so _of course_ she's feeling so sympathetic toward Tori. That's all it is. "Now quit being a baby and come have a coffee with me, Vega."

This prompts a startled laugh from Tori, who dabs at her eyes one final time, returns her textbook to her locker, and then nods. "You got it, _West_ ," she says, mimicking Jade's curt tone. For some reason, Jade doesn't really mind.

By the time they're both sitting down in the courtyard with their coffees, Tori seems to be feeling better. Jade knows her moment to ask what's wrong has passed, but something in her doesn't want to leave Tori. Hunter or not, Tori is her friend. (Another thing she'll never say out loud.) As they sit there in silence, Jade tries to get in touch with her wolf side, attempting to catch Tori's scent. But it hadn't been that strong as a wolf, and it's indiscernible as a human.

"Did you suck on a lemon before you came to school today?" Tori questions, stirring a third packet of sugar into her coffee.

Jade jerks out of her thoughts, trying to focus on her friend. "What?" She's pleased by the harshness of her voice, even though it doesn't match how she actually feels.

"You're making a weird face." Tori pouts, imitating Jade's face, and Jade throws another packet of sugar at her. "Thanks," Tori says cheerfully, emptying the packet into her cup and stirring it again. "So what's up?"

"Nothing." Jade has to work hard to school her face into an apathetic expression. "I'm just thinking."

"Penny for your thoughts?" Tori prompts, and Jade is very aware of the role reversal. She'd approached Tori earlier because she'd been upset, and now here Tori is, trying to make her feel better.

"Just drink your coffee," Jade mutters, focusing on her own cup. They both fall silent for a while, deep in thought. Every now and then the wind shifts and Jade thinks she gets the faintest hint of that metallic scent, but it's not enough to be sure. Just as she's about to ask Tori some innocuous question about her night or a school project, Jade catches the scent – it's strong, it's close, and it's… _moving_?

With a jolt Jade spins around, searching for the source of the scent. It doesn't take long to find it, but it takes longer to process. Beck approaches the table, his friendly smile fading as Jade glares at him.

"Morning girls," he says, slightly uncertain. He looks from Jade to Tori and back again, obviously trying to work out what's going on.

"Hey Beck," Tori says, shifting aside so that there's room on the seat beside her. Beck doesn't move.

"Can we help you?" Jade asks, putting particular emphasis on the word _we._ Something about Beck's manner is putting her off; he's quiet, determined, like he's on a mission. Like he's up to something, and that's supposed to be _her_ job.

"No," he says with a smile, " _you_ can't help." Then he turns to Tori, his smile widening. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"

Tori looks back at Jade, startled. "I mean, we're kind of in the middle of something," Tori says cautiously.

"It's _important_ ," Beck stresses.

"Go on, Tori," Jade says, although she feels a twinge of unease. "I'll be fine without you."

Even without her wolf senses, Jade can tell that Tori doesn't want to go with Beck. But – and here's the strange part – she also _does._ She's ambivalent, torn in two, and Jade doesn't know why. She watches as Beck helps Tori to her feet, trying to get a feel for what's going on between them.

"Well, see you later," Tori says weakly to Jade. She pauses, even as Beck's trying to pull her away. "Thanks for the coffee."

"Any time," Jade says absently, watching as the two disappear around the corner of the building. Then she slumps forward, resting her head in her hands. Tori's scent the other night was a fainter version of Beck's scent today – something she hadn't noticed before. Had he always smelled like that? Why can't she smell that metallic tang on Tori today? What is going on?

And in answer to her questions is one thought that she can't shake, something that unsettles her – and, if she's perfectly honest, it even _scares_ her.

Because if she's right about this, then Tori is a werewolf hunter.

And so is Beck.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

 **Don't forget to review, and I'll see you next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**He-ey, there we go. Thank you all for your response last chapter, you really know how to make a writer feel loved. Most of you had questions, and let me assure you: they will be answered. Although I should warn you that a couple of the questions will not be answered during _this arc_. So, keep sending me your questions (and if you want a more personal response you're welcome to PM me, although of course I won't give too much away) and your theories, and I'll try to update soon. Now, have a chapter that should actually explain some things...**

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

"You have three seconds to let go of me or I'll scream," Tori says, looking pointedly at where Beck's hand is still clamped around her upper arm. He clears his throat, mumbles something that sounds vaguely like an apology, and lets go. Tori makes a show of dusting off her jacket, giving Beck the kind of glare that Jade would be proud of.

"Really, though," Beck says conversationally, as if he hadn't just dragged her into the janitor's closet against her will, "are you actually going to use _screaming_ as a threat?"

Tori frowns. "What else would I use?"

"I don't know." Beck hops up onto an empty trashcan, entirely casual and seemingly unconcerned despite how stressed he'd been when he'd interrupted Tori and Jade in the courtyard less than five minutes prior. "But you saw what you did to me last night. You know that bloodline hunters have more strength and quicker reflexes than normal people. I just thought you'd go for _fight_ rather than _flight_."

"Stop saying that," Tori says, feeling again that strange mixture of pride and fear over the words _bloodline hunter._ Last night Beck had explained the basics to her – before Trina had kicked him out at around midnight, acting as head of the household while their parents are in Miami – and Tori had promised she'd think about it, but there's still some part of her that doesn't believe his words. But the scariest thing is that most of her _does_ believe it.

"You can't run away from this, Tori," Beck says, his voice friendly enough but with a note of warning in it. He seems to take his hunter duties very seriously, which Tori finds simultaneously impressive and intimidating. "You're a bloodline hunter. You were born into it. Whether or not you choose to -"

"I know, I know," Tori interrupts dispassionately. "It's in my blood, it's my birthright, blah blah blah."

Beck surveys her quietly for a moment, and then gives a resigned sigh. "You should be taking this more seriously," he says, sounding almost like he's disappointed in her. That more than anything makes Tori bristle.

"You don't get to take the moral high ground here, Beck," she says, the sharpness in her voice making him blink in surprise. "You broke into my house last night and _attacked_ me just to prove a point."

"I wasn't proving a point," Beck says cautiously. "I was… testing a theory." In response to Tori's glare, he quails. "I guess that's not any better."

"No," Tori agrees, "it's really not."

Running a hand through his hair, Beck sighs again. "Look, I know I went about it the wrong way, but I needed to know whether you were really a hunter and that seemed to be the most sure-fire way to find out. I was just trying to help, I swear."

"Help," Tori echoes dismissively. "You were trying to _help me_ by sneaking into my room and -"

"Okay, okay." Beck holds up his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry, all right? I shouldn't have done it. But would you have listened to me if I hadn't?"

"I don't know," Tori says honestly. She takes a minute to consider it. Beck had attacked her in order to trigger her – what had he called it? – _primal responses._ Ingrained reactions to certain stimuli, such as perceived danger. She'd let her hunter instincts take over and that had allowed her to take Beck. And if he hadn't proved that to her in such a visceral, physical way, she may not have believed him. "Maybe not," she allows. "But you could have at least tried to talk to me about it."

"Right." Beck pauses, then gives her a cheeky smile. "Next time I have to tell you about your werewolf-hunting ancestry, I'll do it in a less confrontational way."

Despite herself, Tori smiles. "Good."

After a couple of moments, Beck's manner becomes more serious again. "How much do you remember of what I told you last night?"

"About what it means to be a hunter?" Tori questions. When Beck nods, she says, "Most of it, I guess. Why? Are you about to give me a pop quiz?"

This time Beck's smile is apologetic. "Actually, yeah."

Tori rolls her eyes. "Really?"

"Yes." Beck leans forward, his expression darkening. "I just need to know you're ready for what I'm about to tell you."

Caught off-guard, Tori doesn't respond right away. "You mean there's something _else_ you have to tell me? Something worse than being told I'm a bloodline hunter?"

"That wasn't a bad thing, Tori," Beck reminds her. "It just… it changes things."

"Okay." Tori leans against the wall, waiting for Beck to quiz her. _God,_ she thinks, _school hasn't even started yet and I'm having my first pop quiz of the day._ "Let's just get this over with."

"Good." Beck's eyes light up, and when he speaks again there's a touch of authority in his voice; Tori makes a note to ask what exactly was involved in his hunter training, and how on earth he managed to complete it while still getting good grades at school. "So, first question: what's the Alliance?"

Tori closes her eyes, thinking back to what Beck had said last night. "The Alliance of Hunters is the governing body for all werewolf hunters," she recites, and then she cracks one eye open, waiting for Beck's confirmation. He nods, and she closes her eyes before continuing, "They're in charge of training new hunters, determining protocol, and researching werewolves."

"Good," Beck says again, and Tori opens her eyes in time to see him smile. "Now, tell me about hunters."

Tori nods, thinking. "They're the hands-on guys," she says, and with every word she realizes that she's starting to believe what she's saying. She'd been beyond sceptical last night when Beck had first told her about werewolves and hunters and how she was already involved in the supernatural without even being aware of it, but now it's starting to make sense. It feels _right_ on a level that Tori can't consciously understand. "They do the actual hunting – tagging, capturing, killing when necessary. They go through a year of intensive training before they're given clearance to hunt in the field."

"Exactly," Beck says encouragingly. "And when is it considered appropriate to apprehend a werewolf?"

 _Apprehend._ Tori isn't entirely sure what the word means, and she's not game to ask, but it makes her shudder internally anyway. She doesn't know much of the methods that the Alliance uses, and something tells her that they aren't pleasant. She's not ready to know about them yet. "When it's been proven that the wolf in question is a danger to society," she says promptly, wondering how she can memorize all this so quickly but can spend hours studying and not remember a thing, "and only when given the order by someone in the Alliance."

"Okay," Beck says. "That's good. You remember most of it."

"I remember it," Tori says carefully, "but I'm not sure I believe it." She pauses, and then finally gives voice to something that's been bothering her since last night. "If I'm a bloodline hunter, wouldn't that make Trina one too?"

"Probably," Beck says. "Unless you're adopted."

Tori shakes her head. "I've seen my birth certificate. I've seen Trina's too."

"So she's a bloodline hunter too," he agrees. Then, noticing the look on Tori's face, he asks, "What are you thinking?"

"Does she _know_ about this?" Tori muses, more to herself than to Beck. "And if she does, why hasn't she told me about it?"

Beck shrugs. "Why don't you ask her?"

"Actually," Tori says, pushing herself off the wall and heading for the door, "that's a good idea."

"I meant _after_ I tell you this new information," Beck says, hurrying after her, but Tori doesn't slow down until she reaches Trina, who's walking past the janitor's closet on her way to class. Glancing at her watch, Tori realizes that the bell will go in less than two minutes.

"Trina," she says, grabbing her sister by the arm to pull her to a stop. She's rewarded with an irritated glare.

"What do you want?" Trina demands, shrugging out of her grip. "And why the hell are you so worked up?"

Tori is hardly aware of Beck coming up beside her, although she does think she can hear him warning her against having this conversation right now. She ignores him. "Do you know anything about werewolves?" she says without preamble.

Trina's eyes widen and she glances from Tori to Beck, as if expecting him to offer a rational explanation for Tori's ramblings. When he doesn't, she turns back to her sister. "What are you talking about, Tori?"

"Werewolves," Tori repeats with more force. "What do you know about them?"

With another confused look at Beck, Trina shrugs. "Not much," she says, and Tori relaxes slightly, quickly convincing herself that if her sister doesn't know about it, then it can't be real. Then Trina adds, "Just the basics. They Change every month, tend to hang around in packs, and are dead scared of the Alliance."

"The… Alliance?" Tori echoes blankly.

"Yeah," Trina says, still looking confused. "The Alliance of Hunters? The guys in charge of making sure the werewolves don't murder us all in our sleep?"

"Actually," Beck chimes in, "if they're in their wolf form it's not considered murder -"

He breaks off under the heat of Tori's glare, and falls silent once again.

"So werewolves are real?" Tori asks.

"Yes," Trina says with exaggerated slowness, "werewolves are _real_."

Tori stares are her sister, dumbstruck. "And you didn't think to _mention_ this to me?"

"I thought you knew," Trina says, completely unabashed. At that moment the bell goes off, and Trina moans. "I didn't have time to check my hair before class. Oh, _no_."

And still fretting over her hair, she darts off, leaving Tori and Beck staring after her.

"So you believe me now?" Beck asks as the hall fills with students – their friends among them, drifting in from outside.

"I believe you," Tori says. She'd hoped that if Trina had denied all knowledge of the supernatural then she might be able to put this all behind her, but if both Beck and Trina believe that werewolves are real, who is she to argue? Her initial reluctance had never been because she didn't believe, she realized; it was because she hadn't _wanted_ to believe. "So what did you want to tell me?"

Beck starts to speak, but cuts himself off as the group catches up to them. "Not now," he says under his breath, and then he mouths, _Janitor's closet_ and _Lunch._

Tori nods, letting him know that she understands, and then they go their separate ways. In the periods leading up to lunch, Tori keeps a careful eye on her friends. Cat seems more like herself today, Andre seems less distracted, and whatever Robbie and Beck had been arguing about yesterday is completely forgotten. It's just Jade who's acting strangely, more subdued and a lot less cynical than usual.

But she doesn't get a chance to bring it up, because Jade's always talking to Cat or Andre or she's seemingly immersed in her work. Still confused by how _nice_ Jade had been that morning, Tori doesn't want to push her luck by asking her about it. She's worried about Jade, but it's probably not her place to intervene.

She pushes all thoughts of her friends from her mind as she slips into the janitor's closet at lunch. This time, at least, Beck doesn't launch a sneak attack. Instead he stands there, looking all solemn and serious, and waits for her to close the door behind her before he speaks.

"You're not going to like this," he warns.

Tori spreads her arms wide, indicating that after the first big revelation nothing can be worse. (She's wrong.) "What is it?"

Beck takes a deep breath, and Tori braces herself for the news, suddenly very apprehensive. "Jade's a werewolf," he admits in a rush, and before Tori can say a word he adds, "and I think she's going to try to kill you."

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

 **Well, I hope that made things bit a clearer. As always, your reviews are very much encouraged, and I'll see you all next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys. Sorry for the slow update. I've had a lot on my plate recently, including a death in the family and other depressing things, but it's settling down now and I'm back... sort of. Anyway, here's the next chapter. After this one there'll be three more left of this arc, and I'm still deciding whether to purse the next one. We'll see. Enjoy, and thanks for all the reviews last time!**

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

"Sorry, I can't talk right now," Beck says, and Jade stares at him in disbelief. This is _Beck_ , the one person who always has time for her, who never turns her away. She may have taken him for granted at times, but she's always appreciated the way he puts his friends first. And here he is, turning her away when she needs him.

"Oh," Jade says, unable to hide her disappointment. It's the start of lunch the day after she'd found out that both Tori and Beck are hunters, and she'd just invited Beck to hang out with her that afternoon. And, to her immense surprise, he'd said no. "Well, okay. When will you be able to talk?"

"I don't know," he replies absently, his eyes roaming over her shoulder. Then his expression lights up, and Jade follows his gaze to see none other than Tori Vega, walking across the hall with Cat, both mid-laughter as if one of them had just told a joke. "I have to go," Beck says, and, leaving Jade no time to reply, he skirts around her and heads straight for the girls.

Jade stays where she is, watching as Beck reaches the girls and says something to them. Tori's eyes narrow and Cat's smile slips, but then Cat shrugs and breaks off from the group. While Beck and Tori walk out the door together, Cat comes back over to Jade, looking perturbed.

"What did he say?" Jade demands as soon as Cat reaches her.

The red-haired girl hesitates. "He just wanted to talk to Tori," she says cagily.

"Did he say what he wanted to talk to her about?" Jade presses. There's something going on between Beck and Tori, and if they're both hunters it probably doesn't bode well for her. But there's no way they can know about her. She's always so, so careful, and Cat wouldn't have told them. Would she?

"No," she says, and at last Jade gets a read on Cat – she's not hiding something, she just really doesn't want to talk about it.

Jade sighs. "I'm sorry," she says, and she means it. "If Beck and Tori really are," she pauses, quickly scanning the area to make sure no one's close enough to overhear, " _hunters_ , then I don't want you to get caught in the middle. You shouldn't have to choose between me or them."

She doesn't add that she knows what Cat would choose, and that she's not ready to face that eventuality.

"Thank you," Cat says softly. A moment passes between them, and then, acting on the unspoken agreement that the conversation is over for now, she says, "I'm starving. How about you?"

And for the next ten minutes, they're both just normal teenage girls. They each get a serve of spaghetti from the food truck and sit down at their usual table, joining Andre and Robbie. Jade notes that Cat sits directly next to Robbie, and gives her a suggestive look that Cat chooses to ignore. While Jade picks at her spaghetti, still feeling the effects of last night's Change, Cat and Robbie start talking about someone's latest Slap update. Andre gets involved after a moment – apparently there'd been some kind of scandal involving two juniors and a senior – but Jade carefully stays out of it. All of her attention is on just staying awake.

About halfway through lunch, Beck and Tori grace the table with their presence. They seem frazzled, Tori in particular; her eyes are wider than usual, and she's more jittery. Beck looks mostly annoyed, but his irritation seems to fade as he joins in the conversation. Tori, however, also stays out of it. Every now and then Jade catches the other girl looking at her, but she looks away so quickly it's like she's scared of being caught.

Jade keeps an eye on her, curious and unsettled. Does Tori _know_? If she does, why hasn't she done anything? And if she doesn't, why does she smell like –

Her thoughts cut off in mid-sentence, her eyes widening as she glances between Tori and Beck. There's another reason Tori would smell like him. And it would explain why she only smells _faintly_ the same. Because it's Beck's scent, and Tori's just picking it up. And the only way to do that is to spend a _lot_ of time with the person.

"I just don't think it's right to do that to your friend," Robbie is saying, apparently taking the side of one of the juniors involved in whatever scandal is going on. "You can't just -"

"But her friend gave her _permission_ ," Andre objects mildly. "She shouldn't have to check in with her every time she and the guy go on a date. Her friend broke up with him months ago."

"But permission isn't the same thing as encouragement," Robbie points out. He looks at Cat, as if waiting for her support, but she stays silent. Jade wonders what she's thinking. "Just because her friend said she _could_ date her ex doesn't mean she _should._ "

"They were over, though," Beck says, although his voice is more neutral, like he hasn't quite taken a side yet. "They'd been over for a long time and everyone knew it."

"That doesn't make it okay." It's not until all eyes turn to her that Jade realizes she's spoken aloud. She's not even talking about the junior-senior scandal; she's talking about something more personal. About the possibility that Beck, her ex, might be dating Tori, her friend. And the fact that he's a hunter just adds the proverbial cherry on top of the crap sundae that is her life. Suddenly wanting the attention off her, Jade gives what she hopes is a dismissive snort. "But whatever."

After an awkward moment of silence, while the others all try to figure out why Jade suddenly felt the need to chime in, Beck says, "I mean, I guess it's still kind of questionable. But it's not, like, abhorrent."

"What do you think, Tori?" Andre asks suddenly, and the girl in question blinks in surprise.

Jade can see her making an effort to bring herself back into the conversation, and wonders where her mind had been. (She also wonders when she started caring about what was on Tori's mind.)

"About what?" Tori asks finally. She still seems out of it, as if whatever she and Beck had been talking about had really gotten to her. Then she blinks, remembering the conversation that she'd probably only half heard. "Oh. I guess… I can see both sides."

Robbie laughs. "Way to take a side, Tori," he says, but stops laughing as he realizes that Tori really isn't in the mood. He gives her an apologetic smile, and she shrugs in response.

"I just don't think it's right to do that to a _friend_ ," Jade says, surprising herself by speaking up again. She puts particular emphasis on the word _friend_ , wondering if Beck will pick up on her meaning. By his narrowed eyes, she thinks he does.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: Jade West." Beck gestures at her dramatically, his eyes twinkling with humor – or possibly with something darker. "Here to give hypocritical announcements and sarcastic speeches."

Jade swats him on the arm, and he laughs. It's almost like old times, but somehow everything still feels different. "I'm serious," she says, suddenly not caring what her friends think. "Friendship should mean something. That's all I'm saying."

In response, Cat actually applauds, while Robbie and Andre share a confused look. Jade knows that this isn't her usual style, but she's unreasonably annoyed by the possibility of Beck and Tori dating. Although, she has to admit that it's better than the alternative – that both of them are hunters. She can handle one hunter, but if two of her friends were in on it… well, that's another story.

Once again Jade drifts out of the conversation, but this time she keeps listening to it. She's focusing on Beck and Tori, trying to pick up on anything between them. It would be so much easier if she were in her wolf form, instead of relying on stupid visual and verbal clues. As a wolf she would just be able to sense it, pinpointing the feelings between them even if they didn't realize it themselves. But as a human she's got no chance.

As they keep talking and Jade finally gives up on her lunch, she thinks about last night's Change. It had been the worst one yet – and not just in this cycle. _Ever_. It had been more painful, and she'd been more violent, and she can tell that she'd scared Cat. She'd never felt so out of control, even on her first Change. She'd scared herself too, but she doesn't know what to do about it. Her one and only werewolf friend is long gone, and with two potential hunters in the group she can't even consider confiding in any of her human friends. She only has Cat, and she can't burden her with all of this.

But she does need to ask her something.

As the lunch bell rings the group splinters, going off to their separate classes. Jade, the last to rise from the table, notices that Beck tries to walk with Tori, but she deliberately walks in between Robbie and Andre, as if for protection. Jade wonders what's going on between them.

"Are you coming?" Cat asks, and Jade shifts her attention to her red-haired friend.

"What? Oh. Yeah." Jade gets to her feet, grabbing her bag and tossing her uneaten plate of spaghetti into the bin. They walk side by side into the building, but Jade pulls Cat aside as soon as they're inside. She doesn't want anyone to overhear this. They come to a stop in front of Cat's locker, while the rest of the group has already gone to class.

"I'm going to ask you something," Jade warns quietly, "and I don't want you to take it the wrong way."

Cat's eyes widen, but she shakes her head to indicate that no, she won't take it the wrong way.

"Have you told anyone about me being a werewolf?" This time she doesn't think to scan the area before saying the word, and as soon as she's spoken she glances around uneasily. But there's no one within earshot. Well, _human_ earshot anyway. "Like Beck, or Tori, or anyone."

This time when Cat's eyes widen, it's not with surprise. It's with complete and utter shock. "No!" she exclaims. " _No_. Jade, I would never, _ever_ do that."

Jade had expected no less, but it's still comforting to hear it said aloud. "Good," she says, a new thought forming in her mind, "good."

After a moment Cat says, "So you still think Tori's a hunter, too?"

"Maybe," Jade says. "Probably. Beck definitely is, though."

Cat frowns. "What are you going to do?"

Now armed with a fully-formed thought, Jade smiles. "The less you know, the better," she says, starting to move away. "See you in class," she calls over her shoulder, ignoring Cat's confused questions and protests.

Glancing from side to side as she walks across the hall, Jade makes her way to Beck's locker. She needs information, and she needs it now. And this is the quickest way to get it. She reaches the locker, stops, looks around again. She's alone. Everyone else is in class, and she's now officially late. But this is the only time she'll be able to do this.

With her heart thumping a painful rhythm, Jade enters the combination on Beck's locker, something he'd told her long ago and probably forgotten she knew. The locker swings open and Jade surveys the contents for a moment. Most of it seems to be normal school stuff – textbooks, notebooks, a pencil case. She notices that he still has a picture of them on the door, one taken just after they'd first started dating for the first time. They're both standing on the beach, toes just in the water, arms looped around each other. Jade allows herself a moment of nostalgia before she refocuses on her mission.

It doesn't take long to search through the books and find what she's looking for. A letter. It's addressed to Beck from the Alliance of Hunters, dated two days ago.

 _Request granted_ , it reads. _Target confirmed. Take any action necessary and report back ASAP._

And there, tucked away in the envelope, is a picture of the target, and, just to make it clear, her name is scribbled across the back of the photo. _Jade West._ Hurriedly Jade tucks the picture and letter back in the envelope, and only then does her hand brush up against something… leafy. She doesn't have time to process, because pain shoots through her and she lets the envelope fall to the ground.

"Wolfsbane," she growls, hating herself for being so stupid. Of course a letter from the Alliance would be protected by wolfsbane. She shoves the envelope back in Beck's locker, closes the door, and gets away as fast as she can.

And for the rest of the day, the letter keeps replaying in her mind, over and over. And one part sticks out and makes her feel, for lack of a better word, _terrified._

 _Take any action necessary._

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

 **So, there you go. Please review, I'd love to hear your thoughts. And I'll see you all next - Actually, since the response last time was good and it's been so long since I updated, have a snippet from next chapter.**

 _"I don't want to do this." Tori looks at the neatly typed instructions, complete with the Alliance insignia at the bottom. Beck had received them earlier that morning – exactly a week after Tori had found out about her ancestral werewolf hunting lineage – and had been quick to deliver them to Tori, who has spent the entire day trying to talk him out of it. "I'm not going to do that to her."_

 **See you guys there!**

 **(P.S. Any ideas on what Tori's so reluctant to do?)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys, I am so sorry it's been such a long time since my last update. Life has been hectic. But thank you all for your reviews last time, and I hope this chapter answers a couple of questions. I won't keep you, so here's the chapter; enjoy!**

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

"I don't want to do this." Tori looks at the neatly typed instructions, complete with the Alliance insignia at the bottom. Beck had received them earlier that morning – exactly a week after Tori had found out about her ancestral werewolf hunting lineage – and had been quick to deliver them to Tori, who has spent the entire day trying to talk him out of it. "I'm not going to do that to her."

Beck frowns, taking the letter back and tucking it into his pocket. They're standing in the janitor's closet, yet again, at the start of last period. Neither of them have class and Beck had decided to use the time to try to change Tori's mind, something for which she is very resentful. "Come on, Tori," he says. "Jade's a werewolf. You know that."

"All I have is your word, Beck," Tori says, and, correctly reading his indignant expression, quickly continues, "and the word of some Alliance I haven't even met. It's not enough to go on."

"Which is why the Alliance wants you to do this," Beck argues, jabbing a finger at the letter. "Once you realize what's really going on, you're going to feel differently."

"I don't see why I need to be involved in this." Tori crosses her arms, repeating an argument she's used a lot over the past week – ever since Beck had told her that Jade was, in fact, a werewolf. "You're a hunter, right? You deal with it."

"You're not getting it, Tori," Beck says, but the sympathy in his voice outweighs the irritation. To his credit, he's been as supportive as he could be given the circumstances. It's just that the Alliance means more to him than it ever will to Tori, and he can't understand why she, a bloodline hunter, won't defer to them. "Even without any training, you're probably a better hunter than I'll ever be. If we need to deal with Jade, then -"

"What does that even mean?" Tori interrupts. " _Deal with her_? She's our _friend_ , Beck. Even if she _is_ a werewolf – and I'm not saying she is – then we have no proof she's done anything wrong."

Beck surveys Tori for a moment, and then he says, "She's a werewolf, Tori. The Alliance knows that for sure. And we're also reasonably sure that she's after you."

"I'm just finding it hard to believe," Tori says. They've had this discussion so many times that it's starting to feel old, but they still haven't been able to reach any kind of satisfactory conclusion.

"Why is it so hard to believe that Jade might want to hurt you?" Beck asks.

Tori snorts. "Oh, no, I have no doubt Jade wants to hurt me," she says. "I just don't think she'd have to be a wolf to do it. And I don't think she's a werewolf. It just… it doesn't feel right."

"Intuition is important," Beck allows, "but so is _proof._ Which is what this," another jab at the Alliance letter, "is about." He pauses, exhaling sharply, and then finishes, "And the Alliance has proof that Jade is _interested_ in you. Which either means that Jade wants to kill you or she's attracted to you, and I think we can safely rule _one of those_ out."

"I get what they're trying to do," Tori says, glancing at the letter again. She's read it fifty times already, and she knows it almost off by heart now. "They want me to trick Jade into revealing herself, hoping that once I know what she is I'll turn against her or something."

"Would you?" Beck asks quietly, catching Tori's eye and holding her gaze. "If you knew that she really was evil – that she'd hurt people or even killed them – then would you be able to turn her in to the Alliance? Would you be willing to do whatever it takes to stop her?"

"Quit talking like that," Tori says with a touch of irritation. "This might be your _destiny_ , but it's still my choice. I don't want to do this to Jade. Even if she is trying to kill me, she hasn't done anything to me yet."

"But she might," Beck presses. "I don't want to hurt Jade any more than you do, but…" He trails off, and Tori's eyes narrow.

"What?" she asks, instantly on alert. "What aren't you telling me?"

In response Beck pulls another piece of paper out of his pocket and hands it to her. Tori scans it quickly, unsurprised to find that it's yet another letter from the Alliance. "Any action necessary," Tori reads aloud, frowning. "What does that mean?"

"In Alliance terms, that's basically a kill order," he says. "It's only issued when it's believed that the wolf might be a danger to society. In cases like these, we're encouraged to…"

"To what, Beck? To _kill_ people?" Tori bursts out.

"They're _not_ people," Beck counters, and too late he realizes what he's said. "I didn't mean that," he says quickly, but Tori's had it.

"Get out of my way, Beck," she says calmly. He steps to the side, confused, and she moves past him, shoving the letter back into his hand as she does so. She pauses in the doorway, thinking of saying something dramatic or vaguely threatening, but then decides against it. Without a word she leaves the janitor's closet, and literally runs into someone on the other side. Startled, she steps back, already stammering out an apology.

And then she sees who it is.

"Watch it, Vega," Jade says sharply. Tori's mind flashes back to last week, to coffee in the courtyard, to a feeling almost like companionship. Sometimes she feels like she doesn't know Jade at all, but others…

"Sorry," she mumbles. At that moment her phone goes off, and when she reads the message she groans.

"What now?" Jade asks, and Tori knows she's probably only looking for another chance to annoy or insult her, but she answers anyway.

"That was Trina," she says. "She's going to a friend's house tonight so she can't drive me home." She slumps against the nearest locker and wonders what else this day is going to throw at her.

"I can give you a ride."

Tori's sure she misheard or imagined it. She glances up, but there Jade is, not quite smiling but not looking hostile either. "Excuse me?"

"I said I'll give you a ride," Jade repeats, and this time Tori's sure she didn't imagine it. The dark-haired girl cocks an eyebrow. "Are you deaf, Tori?"

"N-no," Tori says uncertainly. "It's just… well, last time you drove me anywhere, I'm pretty sure you were going to kill me."

Jade smiles, but it might be more of a smirk. "Oh, _nonsense_ ," she says in her fake-Tori accent, "I would _never_ dream of hurting you."

If Tori weren't so worried about what Beck had said, she would be annoyed by this. But as it is her mind is so full of thoughts about the Alliance and wolfsbane and werewolves that she doesn't have time to be annoyed with Jade. "Right," she says. And then, after a long pause during which Jade looks placidly at her, "Well, I guess that would be helpful."

"Great," Jade says smoothly. "Meet me in the parking lot in five minutes."

And, against her better judgment, Tori does.

The entire drive home Jade listens to aggressive rock music and Tori stares out the window, uncomfortably aware of the weight of a small vial in her pocket. Beck had given it to her, explaining that it's tasteless and odourless, and that, if ingested by a werewolf, it will cause them to Change. The Alliance's plan is that she'll use it on Jade, and she's supposed to have Beck and Trina as backup. Once Jade Changes, she's meant to call the Alliance – using a one-way number Beck had given her earlier – and await further instructions. But as she looks over at the girl driving her home, she's still torn. She's almost certain that Jade isn't a werewolf, but she doesn't know whether to give her the potion anyway (just to prove to Beck that she's human) or to throw it out (because Tori doesn't need proof of Jade's innocence).

She's still lost in these thoughts as Jade actually walks her up the drive, surprising her. But she doesn't mention it; she and Jade have been on relatively good terms this week, and she doesn't want to ruin it. When they reach the front door, Tori pauses. "Do you, um, want to come inside for a while?" she asks.

Jade tilts her head, considering. Then she shrugs. "Sure."

Tori hadn't expected Jade to take her up on the offer, but she's pleasantly surprised when she does. Giving Jade a _thank you for not driving me into the middle of the desert again_ smile, she leads the way inside. Her parents are still in Miami on vacation and Trina's at her friend's house, so she's alone. As soon as she's over the threshold, this thought hits her full-force. She's alone in her house with _Jade._ Swallowing her apprehension, Tori focuses on being a good host.

"Can I get you something to drink?" she asks as Jade makes herself at home on the sofa, kicking off her shoes and switching on the TV. Tori wonders how long she's planning on staying.

"Yeah, a soda would be great," Jade replies without looking over.

As Tori pulls the bottle of soda out of the fridge, she weighs her options. And, finally, she makes her decision. If only to keep Beck off her back, she's going to prove him wrong. She pours her drink, glances over at Jade to make sure she's still engrossed in the TV, and then pulls the vial out of her pocket. It's an opaque kind of white color, the vial itself small and unobtrusive. If she's right, Jade will never know. But if she's wrong –

Not even allowing herself to think that, Tori tips the vial into the glass and watches the liquid quickly mix with the soda. Then she raises it to her face and sniffs it, testing it against her own drink. She can't tell the difference. Satisfied, she sets the two drinks on a tray, adds a packet of chips, and heads over to Jade.

"Thanks for the ride," Tori says as she sits down beside Jade – leaving enough of a distance that if Jade does decide to get up to her usual tricks (which tend to involve pushing Tori onto the floor or something equally painful) – and offers her the tray. Jade takes her laced drink and a couple of chips and smiles fleetingly at her. "What are we watching?" Tori asks, turning her attention to the TV.

"Car chase," Jade says, leaning forward and taking a sip of her drink, her eyes glued to the television in front of her. "This guy is _insane._ "

Knowing Jade's affinity for violence and bloodshed, Tori resigns herself to her fate and leans back, watching the chase. The guy really is insane, driving so fast that it's a wonder he can steer at all, and performing manoeuvres so complicated and dangerous that Tori has to cover her eyes during them. When the chase reaches its inevitable end – the guy being apprehended by police and dragged from his car – Jade turns the TV off.

"Well," she says, "that was disappointing."

"Not enough bloodshed for you?" Tori teases.

"Exactly." Jade tosses the remote down on the sofa, shifting her body so that she's facing Tori more directly. "I mean, there were six cop cars chasing him. And _none_ of them crashed? It's bull-"

" _Jade_ ," Tori warns, before remembering that her parents aren't here. Jade rolls her eyes, and Tori knows that, yet again, the dark-haired girl is judging her.

"You wanna play some cards?" Jade says suddenly, nodding over at the table. Tori's eyes widen in surprise. Since when has Jade willingly spent time with her?

"Okay," she says hesitantly, following Jade over to the table and wondering what she's up to. But twenty minutes later they're still playing, and Tori is, against the odds, actually having _fun._ She and Jade don't normally get along this well when it's just the two of them (or even in a group setting, come to think of it), but Tori finds herself fascinated by her friend. She's sharp, she's clever, and when she's not busy being bitter and caustic she can actually be a lot of fun.

"Read 'em and weep, Vega," Jade announces smugly, spreading her cards on the table.

Tori groans, having now lost three games in a row.

"I need a refill." Jade grabs her cup, and then reaches for Tori's, picking it up before she even bothers asking, "You want one too?"

Tori watches as Jade refills both their cups, and then she looks at her watch. Jade took the potion over half an hour ago. If Jade was a werewolf, it would have Changed her by now. _Beck was wrong,_ Tori thinks with a self-satisfied smile. But her smugness is quickly replaced by uneasiness. Will Beck take her word for it? Or will she have to prove it? As Jade returns to the table, Tori makes her decision. She can't keep Jade in the dark, not when the entire Alliance is after her. She deserves to know.

"What's up?" Jade asks warily, setting their cups down in front of them.

Tori takes a deep breath, bracing herself for the hardest conversation she's ever had. And then she says, "There's something I need to tell you."

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

 **Thoughts, questions, comments, concerns? Let me know and I'll see you all next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**In my defense, November is a busy month, what with NaNo and all. [Sidenote: I am never writing in first person again.] My point is, sorry for the delay, and here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

"That sounds ominous," Jade says with what she hopes is a mocking smirk, but she knows her efforts at nonchalance fall short. Tori's expression is unreadable, giving Jade no indication of what the other girl needs to talk to her about, but it can't be good. Jade wonders yet again what made her offer to drive Tori home, and, even worse, come into her house. Part of her had been hoping to gain some more insight, some clue as to why Tori smells like Beck, like blood and metal and _hunters_ , but it had been more than that.

Tori doesn't respond to Jade's attempt at being light-hearted, which puts Jade on edge. It must be something serious for Tori not to react to that.

"Go on, then," Jade prompts, reaching for another chip but keeping her eyes on her friend. Tori still seems unsure, like she's wrestling with the idea of telling Jade something. A sudden flicker of fear freezes Jade to the spot. Is Tori _stalling_? As soon as the thought hits her, a scenario blooms in her mind: Tori, the hunter, has told the Alliance about Jade being a werewolf. And now here Jade is, alone with Tori, who's distracting her until hunters come. _Tori's in on it._ In her shock Jade drops the bowl of potato chips, which at least has the effect of jerking Tori out of her thoughts.

"Careful," Tori says, seeming almost amused as she helps Jade clean up the mess. As they kneel side by side on the ground, scraping up the remains of their snacks and dumping it into the bowl, Jade notices Tori looking at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Sorry," Jade says gruffly, rising to her feet and taking the bowl back into the kitchen, where she empties it into the trash. Tori watches the whole thing, silent, appraising, and Jade can feel her gaze on her back. Finally Jade turns around, and she feels her heart sink.

"So," she says as they resettle themselves on the sofa, "you were saying?"

Tori bites her lower lip, something she only does when she's incredibly conflicted. (Not that Jade has been paying close enough attention to know that, of course.) Then she says, "Okay, what I'm about to tell you is probably going to sound crazy, but hear me out, okay?"

The urge to respond with some kind of witty retort is almost overwhelming, but then Jade notices the look in Tori's eyes. If she's not much mistaken, it looks like _fear._ Biting her tongue, Jade just nods, encouraging her friend to keep talking.

"Okay." Tori places her hands in her lap, clasping them, fidgeting with them, clearly agitated by whatever this conversation is going to bring. "Werewolves are real," she says suddenly, and it's so far away from what Jade had been expecting that she doesn't know how to react.

Then Tori lifts her gaze to look at Jade, and she realizes that she needs to do something. She can't let Tori know that she knows. But how would normal people react to this? Is she supposed to be shocked? Or should she be disbelieving first? Should she make a joke about it or just laugh or pretend to believe the story?

When she doesn't respond, Tori sighs. "I know, it sounds insane," she says. "But the thing is, it's true. I'm a - well, that doesn't matter. The thing is, there's this," she pauses, uncertain, and then finishes delicately, "this _person_ who thinks you're a werewolf. And I'm scared he's going to do something. Something… bad."

Jade lets this sink in. Tori must be talking about Beck. But how the hell does he know she's a werewolf? Then something clicks. _There's this person who thinks you're a werewolf,_ she'd said, not, _I know you're a werewolf._ Grim amusement quickly follows shock as Jade realizes that Tori doesn't believe Beck. And that might be her only chance. If she can get Tori on her side, she might be able to keep Beck off her back. She doesn't want any altercations with hunters, and it's a lot safer to pretend to be human than to try to work out some kind of deal with the Alliance (although she's heard of that working in the past).

"A werewolf," Jade repeats flatly, trying to inject as much scepticism into her voice as she can. "Like, baying at the moon, slaughtering villagers, that kind of thing?"

"Sort of," Tori says cautiously. "I mean, I'm still kind of new to this so I'm not sure how it all works, but werewolves are… dangerous."

Jade suppresses a snort, thinking about how much more dangerous the Alliance is. "And this _person,_ " she says carefully, "thinks I'm a werewolf because…?"

"He was – he was told," Tori says haltingly, and suddenly Jade's heart slams to a stop. This is bigger than she thought. Her mind flashes back to the letter she'd found in Beck's locker, the one from the Alliance. Giving him orders to _take any action necessary._ She'd thought that he'd been the one to alert the Alliance to her nature, but if he'd been told… it meant that the Alliance had known about her for longer than she'd realized.

"Right," Jade says, drawing the word out and filling it with condescension. "So let me get this straight. This person was told by someone that I'm a werewolf. For some reason they thought it fit to tell you. They want to do something to me – because they think I'm a freaking _werewolf_ – but instead you chose to tell me about it. Is that about the size of things?"

"Yes," Tori says after considering it for a moment.

Jade raises an eyebrow. "Which begs the question: why? Why would you tell me about all this?'

"Because I don't think you're a werewolf," Tori says quickly, "and I think you're in danger."

Jade feels something shift inside her, and she realizes that she actually feels _guilty._ She's never had to directly lie to one of her friends about her condition before – but then again, she's also never been accused of being a werewolf by someone she calls a friend – and it doesn't sit well with her. But she can't tell her. She starts to say something suitably dismissive, but then the twinge inside her turns into something sharper. With a sinking heart she realizes what it is.

"Are you okay?" Tori asks, genuine concern in her voice. (Which doesn't help with Jade's guilt at all, thank you very much.)

 _It's too soon,_ Jade thinks as her body tenses. The last Change finished almost a week ago, but that's not enough time. They may come at random, but she's supposed to have weeks in between them, at least. But there's no mistaking it. She's Changing. "I just," she says, fumbling for an excuse. She needs to get out of here, now. But then her insides twist and turn, and she realizes that she doesn't have time to get to Cat's. She's going to have to wait it out here.

Thinking quickly, she reaches into her pocket, making sure that Tori can't see what she's doing, and presses a few buttons on her phone. A ringing starts up, and Jade pulls her phone out of her pocket and looks at the screen. "It's Cat," she says, although it's not; it's just her ringtone playing to make it look like she has a call. "Can I take this somewhere private?"

It takes all her self-control to get the words out, and as soon as Tori says _you can go up to my room_ Jade's gone, stumbling up the stairs with the phone clutched in her hand. As soon as she gets to Tori's room – which she's only been in once before, and she didn't exactly have permission then – she really does call Cat, who answers on the first ring.

"Hi," Cat says, cheerful as ever. "How are -"

"No time," Jade says, surveying the room and realizing with a hint of irritation that the door doesn't actually have a lock. "It's happening."

There's a gasp on the other end of the line. " _Now_? But isn't it too soon?"

"Yes," Jade says, sinking to the ground as shudders shoot down her legs and her stomach clenches. "Listen, I'm at Tori's -"

"Tori's?" Cat interrupts in surprise. "Why are you at Tori's?"

"I gave her a ride," Jade says, and then goes on hurriedly, "But that doesn't matter. I don't want her to find out what I am, but I can't leave now." Her words are interspersed by grunts of pain as the Change starts to speed up, limbs twisting and bones turning. She groans as her fingers start to stretch into claws, and grits out, "Can you come here and keep her distracted?"

"Of course," Cat says, and there's the sound of a door closing like she's already on her way. She pauses, her silence laden with meaning, and then says, "Hang in there, Jade."

Before Jade can react, the phone falls from her hand. She looks at it for a moment, but then her vision blurs as wolf senses merge with human, thrusting her into the awkward transition phase. And then, suddenly, the Change stops. Jade stays where she is on the floor for a second, and then slowly gets to her feet. She's still in the transition phase, but the pain has faded and she can't feel anything changing inside her. She looks at her clawed hands – thankfully still furless – and her paw-like feet and frowns in confusion.

This has never happened before. When the Change starts, it doesn't stop. But this isn't an ordinary Change. It feels almost… forced. Something clicks in Jade's mind, which is still more human than wolf. _Any action necessary._ There's a compound, she knows, a kind of potion, that can be administered to a wolf in order to force them to Change. She's never come into contact with it before, but she's heard of it. And it might explain what's happening now. The Change is a kind of spontaneous process, and if it was somehow chemically induced her body might fight it.

And almost as soon as she thinks that, her body stops fighting. She drops to the floor again, closing her eyes and waiting for the Change to take her over. And that's when she hears a knock at the door. _Oh god. Tori._ Jade tries to say _I'm busy_ or _Still on the phone_ but the only thing that comes out is a weak whimper.

Knock knock. "Jade? Are you okay?"

Jade stares at the door in horror, wishing that Cat would hurry up and get here, or that she had the power to stall or reverse the Change, or that Tori would just _leave her alone._

Jade's over halfway transformed by now, her senses still mostly human but her body almost entirely wolf. She can't let Tori see her like this, not when she'd been so adamant that there was no way Jade could be a wolf. If Beck already knows about her, and Tori finds out tonight, then there's no way Jade will be able to keep the Alliance at bay. They tend to shoot first and ask questions later (often in high-tech labs designed to run painful experiments on werewolves such as her), and Jade does _not_ want to deal with that.

And, she realizes as fur erupts along her limbs and back, she also doesn't want to disappoint Tori. It's a strange thought, but it's still true. She'd lied to Tori, told her she wasn't what Beck said she was, and Tori had believed her. If Tori finds out the truth now she'll never trust Jade again, and that bothers her more than it should.

"Jade?" Knock knock. "I'm coming in, okay?"

And there's nothing Jade can do as the door swings open and Tori steps through, her gentle smile fading at the sight in front of her. And at the sight of her, Jade feels a surge of bloodlust, the kind she normally only gets on the second or third days of the Change, when she's at her most violent. Tori's eyes widen and her mouth parts in shock, and Jade crouches down, interpreting as a wolf now, her mind weighing the words _threat_ and _friend_ as she tries to process the situation.

Then a single word cuts through the mess. _Tori._

For a split second Jade's human self takes over, and she growls, " _Run_." Then in an instant she's entirely wolf, incapable of speech or rational thought, and all she can think is that she wants to hurt the person in front of her. No. She wants to _kill_ her.

Tori stays for a second longer, and then she spins around and sprints from the room, slamming the door behind her. Jade hurls herself at the door, desperately trying to escape. And then, when the door doesn't give, she collapses to the floor.

And she howls.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

 **Don't forget to review, and I'll see you all soon for the final chapter in arc one.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Well, here we are: the end of arc one. Thank you all so much for your support and encouragement, and I hope you enjoy the way this ends. I'm still not entirely sure if I'll continue into the other arcs, so we'll see. For now I'll leave it here. Thanks again, everyone, and I hope to see you around.**

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

"Oh my god." Tori is leaning against the door, trying to hold it closed even though she knows that she's no match for a werewolf. She may be a bloodline hunter but she's still only human, and if the werewolf – _Jade_ , she reminds herself – really tries to break out, she's not going to be able to stop her. A mournful howl starts up, chilling Tori to the bone. Since Beck had first told her about her being a hunter and werewolves being real, she'd been imagining what seeing her first werewolf would be like. And never, in any of the scenarios, did it involve her friend staring at her with such _hunger_ in her eyes. Tori had never been so scared in all her life.

As she leans against the door, listening to Jade howl, she tries to come up with a plan. She was wrong, so very wrong, and she knows that she can't handle this alone. Her first thought is to talk to Trina, but then she remembers that her sister is out of the house tonight. Her next best option is Beck, although she really doesn't want to give him the satisfaction of an _I told you so._ But as Jade starts to pace and Tori can hear sounds like shattering glass, she realizes that she may not have a choice. She reaches into her pocket for her phone –

\- and comes up empty.

Her breath catching in her throat, she searches in all her pockets – jeans and jackets and even in her bra – but her phone is nowhere to be found. And then she remembers leaving it downstairs, forgotten on the table in her haste to find out what was wrong with Jade. _Damn it._ Torn between going downstairs for her phone (thereby running the risk of Jade getting out) and staying where she is (which is risky enough in itself), Tori does nothing, her mind spinning and her heart racing.

She wonders what Beck, a trained hunter, would do in this situation. And she realizes that she has no idea. She's had absolutely no training, and apparently the bloodline hunter instincts that had helped her take him down the night he'd surprised her in her room don't extent to situations like this. Because her instincts are all screaming at her to run, and she knows that that is _not_ what a hunter would do.

After what seems like forever, during which time Tori decides to stay where she is until she's sure it's safe to move, she hears a knock at the door. Thinking it must be one of the neighbours, she ignores it. Even when it continues for a full minute, getting more insistent by the second. None of the neighbours would be that incessant. And then she hears a familiar voice.

"Jade? Tori? Are you here?"

 _Cat._ Oh no. Tori squeezes her eyes shut, as if by doing so she might be able to stop what's about to happen. But she can't. There's a final knock, another shout, and then she hears the door open. Cursing herself for leaving it unlocked, Tori braces herself. It doesn't take long for Cat to find her, and then the red-haired girl frowns, taking in the sight before her.

"Whatcha doing?" Cat asks, and Tori realizes that her manner isn't as carefree as usual. And if she weren't so busy worrying about Jade and what Beck will do when he finds out, Tori would ask Cat what's wrong. As it is, she just wants her friend to leave.

"Um," Tori says, knowing how strange this looks, "I'm just… you know, hanging out."

It's a flimsy excuse, and Cat doesn't buy it for a second. Her frown deepens. "Have you seen Jade?" she asks, catching Tori entirely off-guard. Then she remembers the phone call Jade had taken earlier; she must have told Cat she was here.

"Yeah," Tori says, her mind scrambling for an explanation, "she's um, she had to leave. I mean, she's not here."

For someone as easily distracted as Cat, she does have a certain determination when it comes to things she really cares about. "Really? Because she said she was here, and she wasn't feeling well."

 _That's an understatement,_ she thinks grimly. Then she pauses. Why would Jade have told Cat she wasn't feeling well? She would have known Cat would come over, and surely even she would notice that her friend was a giant black-furred wolf?

"What exactly did she say?" Tori asks cautiously, still up against the door and listening carefully for sounds from within her room. It sounds like Jade is still, almost like she's listening to them. Tori wonders how much Jade can understand as a wolf. Is she still a human in a wolf's body, or does the wolf take over? She makes a mental note to ask Beck about it the next time she sees him, because for all his pop quizzes and information dumps, he seems to have neglected some of the essentials.

"Um," Cat says, "just that she was feeling kind of, um, under the weather."

Tori surveys her friend carefully, trying to figure out what's going on. Then, testing the waters, she says, "Yeah, she did say something about being sick. You could say she was sick as a dog."

Cat's eyes widen, and Tori knows she's onto something. And then a memory hits her, something that had seemed innocuous at the time but carries so much more weight now. That night when she'd gone over to Cat's to work on a project. A large black dog. A dog called Jade. Tori mentally kicks herself for not realizing sooner: it wasn't a dog. It _was_ Jade.

"It was her, wasn't it?" Tori asks, giving up on subtlety. If Cat knows, maybe she can help, but they have to make sure they're on the same page first. "That night at your house. That was Jade."

"My dog?" Cat asks after a confused frown. "Yeah, she -"

"We both know she's not a dog," Tori says gently. And then, "I _know,_ Cat. It's okay. You don't have to protect her secret anymore."

After a long pause, Cat sighs, looking suddenly smaller somehow. "You know?"

"Yes," Tori says. She jerks head head to indicate the door behind her and says, "Jade's in there now. I saw her… transform, I guess?"

With a sad kind of resignation, Cat sinks down to the ground beside Tori. "It's called a Change," Cat explains. "It happens almost every month. But… It's already happened this month."

At this, Tori looks away, suddenly embarrassed. Cat catches onto her discomfort and raises an eyebrow in a silent question. "I maybe gave Jade a potion," she admits reluctantly, causing Cat's eyes to widen again. "It's only temporary, though. She'll be fine in a couple hours, I think."

"You made her Change?" Cat asks in disbelief. Then she gasps. "So you _are_ a hunter?"

Now it's Tori's turn to be surprised. She thinks about denying it, but there doesn't seem to be any point to it anymore. "You know about that?"

"Jade figured it out a while ago," Cat says. Then she giggles. "She also thought that you and Beck might have been seeing each other."

For a moment Tori's so startled she doesn't know what to say. "Why?" she asks after a while, the most eloquent thing she can come up with.

"She said you smelled like him," Cat says, seeming slightly embarrassed. "Which either meant that you were a hunter or you were, you know…"

The thought is so ridiculous that Tori actually laughs. She and Beck might have had a few _almost_ moments, but they're not dating. They probably never will. "Well, sorry to disappoint," she says finally, "but I'm not seeing him."

Cat seems to relax at this, although Tori isn't entirely sure why. A few minutes of companionable silence pass by, and then Cat says, "So what are you going to do?"

"About what?" Tori asks, dragging herself out of her thoughts and focusing on her friend.

"About Jade," Cat responds, hooking a thumb over her shoulder to indicate Tori's room. "Now you know she's a werewolf, and you're a hunter…"

"Are you asking if I'm going to turn her in?" Tori asks in surprise. Then she shakes her head and admits, "The Alliance already knows about her."

"And Beck knows too, doesn't he?" Cat asks.

"Yes," Tori says, and then she frowns. "I mean, no. He's convinced she is, but – other than the Alliance's word – he doesn't have any proof."

"But he'll believe you, if you tell him," Cat points out. She's twirling a strand of hair around her finger and staring straight ahead, clear signs that she's upset. Tori wonders how long she's known about Jade, how long she's been helping her. And how she'll feel if Tori does hand Jade over to the Alliance. "Are you going to tell him?" Cat asks, still not looking.

"I don't know," Tori answers honestly. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

They fall silent again, each lost in their minds, and the next hour passes quietly. Jade stops pacing and seems to settle, but Tori isn't brave enough to open the door. She and Cat just sit side by side, not speaking, simply thinking. Tori's still trying to process everything that's happened this past week, trying to figure out how much she's changed and what she's going to do next.

She likes to think she's dealing well with the whole _being a bloodline hunter_ thing. There's just been one breakdown, the day when Jade had invited her out to the courtyard for coffee. That had been a bad day, when everything had just caught up with Tori and she'd just needed a break. Nothing in her life seemed stable anymore, nothing was safe, and she was struggling to come to terms with how everything had changed. She had never wanted to be normal, exactly, but when she said she wanted to be _extraordinary_ she meant that she wanted to be a famous pop star, not a bloodline werewolf hunter.

And yet here she is.

A little after midnight, after it's been silent for a long time, there's a faint whimper from Tori's bedroom. Both girls turn around, on alert at once.

"Jade?" Cat calls out cautiously.

"Yeah," comes the faint reply, and Tori is surprised to hear how tired her friend sounds.

"Is it safe to go in?" Tori asks, turning back to Cat.

"Yeah," Cat says, already getting to her feet and reaching down to pull Tori up. "If she can talk, it means she's human again."

A moment passes, and then Tori steels herself and opens the door. Jade is sitting on the end of her bed, looking beyond tired. There's no energy to her at all; it's like everything that makes her _Jade_ has just been wiped away, leaving nothing but a shell.

"Are you okay?" Cat asks, her voice soft with concern.

Jade lifts one shoulder up in a shrug, and Tori feels her heart go out to her friend. The Change must be an exhausting process, and it's her fault that her friend had to go through this. Jade looks at Cat, switches her gaze to Tori, and then looks back to Cat. "Can you give us a minute?'

"Of course," Cat says quickly. "I'll be downstairs if you need me."

When she's gone, the two girls simply look at each other for a moment. Tori doesn't even know where to begin, whether to give precedence to apologies or explanations, whether they should talk it all out now or go their separate ways to recover. To her relief, Jade takes the lead.

"I'm sorry I lied to you," she says quietly.

Tori shrugs, sitting down beside Jade on the bed. They're both looking at the floor, unable to meet each other's eyes after all that's happened. "I'm sorry I gave you a potion that made you Change."

"I guess we're even then." Jade exhales slowly, like she's trying to find the energy for this conversation. "Listen, Tori -"

"It's okay," Tori interrupts gently, and Jade falls silent. "Let's just… Let's not talk about it, okay?"

Jade nods, but then she frowns. "I read the letter that the Alliance sent to Beck," she says, and somehow Tori isn't surprised. "It said to take any action necessary. Normally that means… I mean, they only do that if the werewolf is a threat, right?"

Tori nods. "It's kind of like a kill order, from what Beck told me."

"Exactly." Jade clasps her hands in front of her, leaning her elbows on her knees, looking deep in thought. "But I haven't… I mean, I'm not dangerous. Why would they send a hunter after me?"

Taking a deep breath, Tori explains, "Beck says that the Alliance thought you were…" she swallows, then continues, "you know, trying to kill me."

Jade's eyes widen in surprise and she looks up at her friend. " _What_? Why?"

"I don't know," Tori admits, holding up her hands in response to Jade's sharp tone. "He said something about you seeming… _interested_ in me? Which Beck said either meant that you wanted to kill me or you wanted to kiss me."

She laughs, aiming for levity, but when Jade doesn't join in she quickly cuts herself off, confused. _There's no way… right?_

"Well, I might," Jade admits, her gaze returning to the floor.

Tori's entire body stiffens. "Excuse me?"

Jade doesn't answer, but her smile is enough. So Jade doesn't want to kill her. But, Tori thinks apprehensively, the alternative somehow seems almost as terrifying.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

 **Don't forget to review, I'd love to know what you think, and feel free to get in touch if you have questions or comments. Bye for now, guys!**


End file.
